Spheres
April 2004 By Javier Quinones
Take Five
Jazzmin
Take Five (Jazzmin), from Two for Brazil, is a guitar and tenor sax/flute duo, biggie-sized by the guitarist's vocals. Stringsman Paulinho Garcia and reedist Greg Fishman make Dizzy Gillespie, Toninho Horta, Luis Bonfa, Djavan Caetano Viana, Jobim, Paul...
April 2004 By Javier Quinones
A Mi Tierra
Random Choice
Afrodysia's Deborah Aviles' singing on A Mi Tierra (Random Chance) indicates that she hopes for a successful musical melange. Aviles modulates sources such as trova, jazz's hipness, son and bolero in a seemingly adaptive manner, allocating them into her...
April 2004 By Javier Quinones
A Day Gone By
Fresh Sound World Jazz
The Jinga Quintet's A Day Gone By (Fresh Sound World Jazz) is as tastefully intriguing and slyly hot as Japanese dried fish and red pepper otsumami. On "Africa's Cry," freewheeling, 6/8, Afro-Cuban bass bends by Fernando Huergo precede discordant mournful...
April 2004 By Javier Quinones
Live: Skirball Cultural Center 8/7/03
Kufala
Live: Skirball Cultural Center 8/7/03 (Kufala) is a double CD documenting an L.A. performance by Vinicius Cantuaria as guitarist, vocalist and percussionist, with percussionist Nanny Assis, drummer Paulo Braga, bassist Sergio Brandao and violinist Jenny...
April 2004 By Javier Quinones
Playful Heart
Mack Avenue Records
Oscar Castro-Neves is so much more than an old-school bossanoveiro of well established and documented repute. Playful Heart (Mack Avenue), reasserts that fact. Nary an aspect of the production was not enhanced by his musical prodigy. "Four Brothers" showcases...
April 2004 By Javier Quinones
Caterete
Adventure
"Caterete," the title cut of Nelson Angelo's U.S. debut on the Adventure label, with its core of aboriginal-tinged sampled alien-ness and its danceable tease at the coda, signals further Brazilian musical explorations of unknown destinations in this recording...
April 2004 By Javier Quinones
Southern Exposure
Adventure
Adventure released the irresistible vocalist and pianist Tom Lellis' Southern Exposure--a vespers to love. "Luisa," a Toninho Horta and Ellis composition, features guitarist Horta and pianist Dave Kikoski's tidy and lovely interchanges, a supple trio of...
April 2004 By Javier Quinones
Cris on the Farm
Adventure
Cris on the Farm (Adventure), from the Marcos Amorim Trio, is yet another revelatory Brazilian release. This trio can very well be the premier of its kind. They vary their sonic imprint a bit, as the leader plays several types of guitars, as does Ney Conceicao...
December 2003 By Javier Quinones
Birds of a Feather
Concord Picante
A brassier, busier and a wee bit more aggressively urban Caribbean Jazz Project is featured on Birds of a Feather (Concord Picante). Dave Samuels is now leading this new lineup with Ray Vega on trumpet, Dario Eskenazi on piano and special guests guitarist...
December 2003 By Javier Quinones
Carnival in San Juan
Cubop
The current trinitarian Puerto Rican musical vanguard features two fine trombonists in Papo Vazquez and William Cepeda. (Saxophonist David Sanchez is the other P.R. player on the progressive edge.) Carnival in San Juan (CuBop), arguably Vazquez's best recording...
