Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band - Vox Humana

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 84:12
Size: 194,8 MB
Art: Front

( 7:09) 1. Caravan
( 7:18) 2. Capullito De Aleli
( 8:26) 3. Puerto Rico
( 7:24) 4. Partido Alto
( 3:46) 5. Let The Good Times Roll
( 5:56) 6. Who Taught You That
( 5:26) 7. I Love You Porgy
( 4:42) 8. Genie In A Bottle
( 5:44) 9. Amazonas
( 5:40) 10. Spooky
( 4:22) 11. To Be With You
( 5:46) 12. Do It Again
(12:27) 13. Mi Congo

The opening track on Vox Humana could easily have been the encore of this live performance recorded at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola, part of Jazz At Lincoln Center in New York City. It is a rousing version of the Duke Ellington crowd pleaser "Caravan" and a boisterous Latin tinged big band version it is, with Matthew Gonzalez 's barril de bomba and requinto pandereta, bandleader and drummer Sanabria and others on congas, bongos and bells prominently leading the percussionists and portending the unfettered upbeat joy to come.

It might help with the lyrics, but you don't have to speak Spanish to understand this music because melody, rhythm and music are universally understood forms of communication and the top notch performances by vocalists and instrumental soloists express it so wonderfully in these songs. The second track, "Capullito De Aleli," is another stand out cut, and features vocals by Jennifer Jade Ledesna as well as great solos by pianist Darwin Noguera and Andrew Gould on alto sax.

The good-time music continues on track five with Antoinette Montague singing the 1946 Louis Jordan hit "Let The Good Times Roll" featuring Armando Vergara on the trombone with plunger mute. Then a couple of tracks later the tempo slows a bit with Montague again singing the Gershwins' "I Love You Porgy."

On the tenth track vocalist Janis Siegel of the The Manhattan Transfer steps up front with a great version of "Spooky" featuring some fine scat vocals. A couple of cuts later she sings the Steely Dan hit "Do It Again" along with Ledesna and Montague joining in, and Noah Bless on trombone and Gabrielle Garo on flute.

While the intention of this album seems to be to feature vocalists, the instrumental soloists and the big band as a whole all shine with tight arrangements and inspired solos. The final track, "Mi Congo," shows us this with violinist Benjamin Sutin starting an array of solos including trumpets and saxophones and percussionists.

In 2023 it may be hard to imagine a time when jazz music was a mainstream popular music, where people would go to clubs, concert venues and dance halls to dance and party. This album recalls those times with updated arrangements and perfect execution.By Cary Tenenbaum https://www.allaboutjazz.com/vox-humana-bobby-sanabria-jazzheads

Vox Humana

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Mary LaRose - Out Here

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:26
Size: 120,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:59) 1. Gazzelloni
(5:07) 2. 245
(5:00) 3. Out There
(6:49) 4. Music Matador
(7:00) 5. Gw
(5:39) 6. Serene
(6:08) 7. Out to Lunch
(4:39) 8. Love Me
(5:01) 9. Warm Canto

Vocalist Mary LaRose has explored the instrumental music of jazz artists in the past, penning lyrics to the music of Thelonious Monk,Ornette Coleman, Albert Ayler, and Charles Mingus. Also included in her previous releases is the music of Eric Dolphy, who has always been a spirit guide for LaRose. With Out Here, she dedicates an entire album to Dolphy's compositions, plus a couple pieces tied to his legacy.

This session reminds you of the great Carmen McRae's Carmen Sings Monk (Novus, 1990). Like that recording, LaRose adds insight into and new appreciation of some classic compositions. Alongside partner Jeff Lederer, who plays clarinets, LaRose's ensemble includes Tomeka Reid (cello), Patricia Brennan (vibraphone, electronics), bassist Nick Dunston, and drummer Matt Wilson. Blending sung, spoken word, and scatting vocalese, the music is packed with ceaseless animation, with the arrangements by Lederer. LaRose's wordless duet with Wilson's drums opens "Gazzelloni" which blossoms into an infectious groove. Lederer's solo on clarinet (instead of Dolphy's choice of flute) pairs nicely with the solos of Reid, Brennnan, and Dunston. That funny word (a dedication to Italian flutist Severino Gazzelloni) is repeated, parsed, and spun as if in a blender, creating an addictive cocktail. LaRose emulates Annie Ross' surfing vocalese with "245" and "GW," the latter piece featuring Brennan's vibraphone skew wiffed with electronics. We also hear two poems.

Mal Waldron's "Warm Canto" is decorated with Patricia Donegan's "Lover's Wish," which LaRose speaks over the intertwined clarinets of Lederer, Isaiah Johnson and Cameron Jones, and Hallie Lederer's "Syncopation" becomes the spoken/sung lyrics to Dolphy's "Serene." Matt Wilson's contagious march informs the intricate classic "Out To Lunch," punctuated by Lederer's clarinet, Reid's cello, and LaRose's twisted tongue recital. Maybe the best tribute to Dolphy is the cover of Prince Lasha and Sonny Simmons' "Music Matador." LaRose matches the composition with acrobatic lyrics sung over the Afro-Caribbean sounds of salsa trombonist Jimmy Bosch and percussionist Bobby Sanabria with additional vocals by Maya Rose Lederer. Everybody, let's dance.
By Mark Corroto https://www.allaboutjazz.com/out-there-mary-larose-little-i-music

Personnel: Mary LaRose: voice / vocals; Jeff Lederer: saxophone, tenor; Tomeka Reid: cello; Patricia Brennan: vibraphone; Nick Dunston: bass; Matt Wilson: drums; Jimmy Bosch: trombone; Bobby Sanabria: drums; Isaiah Johnson: drums; Cameron Jones: clarinet; Maya Rose Lederer: voice / vocals.

Out Here

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Joe Chambers - The Outlaw

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:40
Size: 117,0 MB
Art: Front

(7:12)  1. The Outlaw
(4:22)  2. Tu-Way-Pock-E-Way
(5:42)  3. Come Back to Me
(5:33)  4. I Think It's Time to Say Goodbye
(6:36)  5. In a Sentimental Mood
(4:10)  6. Bembe
(6:45)  7. Escapade
(4:58)  8. Baha
(5:18)  9. Poinciana

Joe Chambers was one of the best percussionists during the Golden Age of Blue Note Records in the 1950s and '60s. The drummer played on Freddie Hubbard's Breaking Point, Bobby Hutcherson's Components, Wayne Shorter's Schizophrenia, Andrew Hill's Compulsion and McCoy Tyner's Tender Moments. Around the same time, Chambers began playing piano as well. He reached a turning point in 1970, when he was invited to join Max Roach's new all-percussive unit, M'Boom. He was encouraged to play all manner of percussion instruments. The Outlaw shows Chambers primarily as a vibraphonist, but he also plays drums, piano, synthesizer programs and marimba. When Chambers is too occupied on the vibes, New York bandleader Bobby Sanabria handles percussion on five of the nine tracks. Much of this album reflects a Latin jazz patina that reminds me of the Pucho & His Latin Soul Brothers groove (and they are still a functional, recording unit). Chambers' combo makes less use of horns on this session than Pucho does, though saxophonist Logan Richardson does get an opportunity to shine on soprano for "Escapade." Two tracks seem to feature a somewhat annoying drum machine, but since none is listed, it must be a synth programming feature. Nicole Gutland appears on two tracks for vocal ("I Think It's Time To Say Goodbye") and vocalese ("Come Back to Me") performances. Chambers performs a mid-tempo version of "In A Sentimental Mood" and pays respects to Vernel Fournier, drummer with the Ahmad Jamal trio, with his own version of "Poinciana." "Bembe" utilizes a rhythm from a Yoruba Santeria ritual, while "Bahia" is a pulsing Brazilian street band peace with Chambers leading the way. All in all, with some exceptions noted, a most pleasant ride! ~ Michael P.Gladstone https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-outlaw-joe-chambers-savant-records-review-by-michael-p-gladstone.php

Personnel: Joe Chambers: drums, vibraphone, piano, marimba, synthesizer programs; Nicola Gulland: voice; Logan Richardson: soprano and alto saxophone; Misha Tsiganov: acoustic and electric piano; Dwayne Burno: bass; Bobby Sanabria: percussion.

The Outlaw

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Bobby Sanabria - Quarteto Ache!

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:21
Size: 132,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:40)  1. Shaw Nuff
(8:10)  2. Soleshia
(9:16)  3. Funky Mr. D
(0:52)  4. Blue
(5:55)  5. Childs Walk
(7:09)  6. Ebb & Flow
(6:30)  7. El Trane
(9:12)  8. Aum
(5:32)  9. Be-Bop

One of the most obvious things about watching Dizzy Gillespie, in particular when pursuing his Afro-Cuban muse, was how much fun he was having. All too often musicians become so entrenched in the seriousness of their work that they forget music is also meant to be passionate and pleasurable, as much fun to hear as it is to play. Drummer Bobby Sanabria hasn’t forgotten this important aspect of the art, and with his current group, ¡Quarteto Ache!, he follows in Gillespie’s footsteps in more ways than one. The group’s self-titled recording is an example of how an infectious sense of playfulness can imbue the music with a vibrancy, a sense of excitement that not only captivates, but draws the listener in, making him/her an active participant. Bookending the recording with two Gillespie pieces, “Shaw ‘Nuff” and “Be-Bop,” Sanabria makes it clear that he is one of the primary torch-carriers for the Afro-Cuban approach. But what Sanabria is especially astute at is integrating rhythms and styles from various aspects of Latin America into a cohesive whole. “Funky Mr. D,” for example, combines elements of Cuban bolero, Brazilian samba cans?o and more a more traditional blues form into something that speaks its own language. “Soleshia” couples a 3/4 jazz waltz with a 6/8 Afro-Cuban bemb? feel. “Aum” demonstrates that there is a clear link between the Middle East and Latin forms. “El Trane,” a more straight-ahead bebop tune, pays homage to both Elvin Jones and, of course, John Coltrane in a modal workout that, by virtue of its polyrhythmic density, ties in perfectly with the rest of the programme. The group is not comprised of clearly distinct stylistic voices, yet everyone plays with confidence, energy and commitment. 

Sanabria aside, whose drumming style is exuberant and empathic, the other standout is Jay Collins, who, along with contributions on tenor and soprano sax and a variety of flutes, does a “Rahsaan Roland Kirk” on the intro to “El Trane,” blowing both saxophones at once. But most of all it is clear that Sanabria and the group are just plain having fun. Quotes pop up liberally, drawing inspiration from sources as disparate as The Wizard of Oz and, not surprisingly, A Love Supreme. As intense as the group gets, and at times it can be very intense, there is a clear sense that these players are enjoying themselves; one can almost see the smile on Sanabria’s face as bassist Collins quotes from “If I Only Had a Brain.” There is a certain party atmosphere to the record, which is not to say that this isn’t serious music. Sanabria and ¡Quarteto Ache! are unquestionably players who are devoted to their craft. But although the music is as weighty as any, there is a sense of enjoyment that is easily felt and most welcome. 

~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/bobby-sanabria-and-quarteto-ache-bobby-sanabria-zoho-music-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Bobby Sanabria (musical director, drums, vox humana), John di Martino (piano, vox humana), Jay Collins (tenor and soprano saxophones, flute, bansuri, pre-Columbian flute), Boris Kozlov (acoustic bass).

Quarteto Ache!

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Bobby Sanabria - Big Band Urban Folktales

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 75:07
Size: 172.0 MB
Styles: Latin jazz
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[6:30] 1. 57th St. Mambo
[5:36] 2. Pink
[7:11] 3. Since I Fell For You
[6:52] 4. D Train
[7:22] 5. El Lider
[7:44] 6. El Aché De Sanabria En Moderación
[6:00] 7. Besame Mucho
[5:56] 8. The Crab
[8:43] 9. O Som Do Sol
[3:33] 10. Blues For Booty Shakers
[6:35] 11. The Grand Wazoo
[2:59] 12. Obrigado Mestre

Bobby Sanabria continues the tradition of creating exciting Latin jazz in a big-band setting with this outstanding release. Long after daring to ask to sit in with the legendary Tito Puente (while only a teenager), the veteran percussionist put together a memorable session by recruiting outstanding musicians and encouraging them to write for the band, along with adding a few compelling charts of his own. One can immediately feel the energy as trumpeter Michael Philip Mossman and the leader make their presence felt in the brassy opener, "57th St. Mambo," written by Mossman. Bass trombonist Chris Washburne wrote the slinky "Pink," which fuses several styles and suggests young men strutting their stuff down South Beach in Miami Beach. The band also successfully delves into a pair of Hermeto Pascoal's works (the dreamy "O Som do Sol" and the moody ballad "Obrigado Mestre") and a very fresh take of the often pedestrian "Besame Mucho," featuring an effective vocal by Hiram "El Pavo" Remón.

But the big surprise is a driving Afro-Cuban arrangement of rocker Frank Zappa's big-band piece "The Grand Wazoo," which retains enough elements of the original while adding plenty of Latin spice. This CD was nominated in 2007 for a Grammy award as Best Latin Jazz Album. ~Ken Dryden

Big Band Urban Folktales

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