Submitted by Al Kanovsky 06/10/14
..."Cast off the bowlines". He wasn't talking about
loosing a boat, rather he was giving you a way to live your life. If you never
venture forth you are actually dead in the water. Adrift with no destination,
no future, no past. I wax philosophical because of the good time I had last
night. A fairly new venue, a band I had never heard before and an audience that
included many a friend. My buddy Bill, dance partner Jackie Deering, Jeannette
PINA, Lisanne Lyons and her beau Bob, Mo Morgen, my publisher Charlie
Boyer (JAZZBLUESflorida.com) band members George Mazzeo(ez) (drums), Tom
McCormick(ez) (tenor sax), Ranses Colon (bass) and Jim Gasior(ez) (keyboard).
The reason for the ez suffixes is that this was the 'LATIN JAZZ BIG BAND'. I
call it "clave bop". Pete Francis (trumpet/flugelhorn) is the band
director. Alongside in the trumpet section are Jesus Mato, Ray Chica and
Patrick Converse. With Tom in the sax section were Ismael Vergara and Arturo
Arango (altos), Luis Amat (tenor) and Sapo Tercero Gonzalez (bari). Trombones,
Seth Innes, Tom Warfel, Jason Pyle and Ramces Marsilli. The rest of the Rhythm section had Erick Castaneda (congas) and Willy Barriga (bongos).
The venue,"The
Open Stage" in Coral Gables. Black walls, tasty decor, roomy and
comfortable, good sound system, stage big enough for the 17 piece
band, efficient staff, nice menu and a brave owner/mgr Juan
Dellatorre.
The music was a joy. A well rehearsed big band, playing
complex charts, with almost miraculous unison choruses, solos that brought long
lasting applause and enthusiasm that inspired one another. Jim (the
genius) Gasior and Tom McCormick have no Latin heritage. You would never
guess that from their clave infused solos. One of the tunes on the play list
was "Songo Bop". It was a definitive fusion of Latin rhythms and
be-bop lines. Sapo did an amazing bari solo with the bongos and conga adding
intensity.
Mo Morgen had joined Jackie, Charlie and I at our table. He is still
upset about a remark I once made about his 'attempts' at vocalization. In order
to impress Ms. Deering he sang
a few lines of "What A Difference A Day Makes". Her face remained stoic. I tried a few lines of "Do Nothing 'til You Hear From Me". I got the same reaction.
a few lines of "What A Difference A Day Makes". Her face remained stoic. I tried a few lines of "Do Nothing 'til You Hear From Me". I got the same reaction.
The 2d set opened with "Night
In Tunisia". It gave Ranses the opportunity to display his real talent. A
song with the title "Early A.M. Attitude" is another Latin rhythmed
number except this time it was fused with'funk' and Tom did justice to the
"f" part of it.
I could not finish this review without
mentioning the solo work of Arturo Arango on alto, soprano and flute, WOW!!. In
the first set the band did an unfamiliar "Afro Green", now they
played "Afro Blue" which include solos by Sapo and Arturo.
"Memories" and the trumpet section came to the fore with Jesus Mato
blowing the roof off, Arturo showing his flute chops and Jim displaying why I
call him 'the Genius'. "Saoco" had Pete and Tom out front and swinging.
The band ended the evening with "Springtime". The unison work was
superb. The flugelhorn solo furnished by Ray Chical was the epitome of
creativity and technique. The tenor sax of Luis Amat rising above all brought
the tune to a clamorous conclusion. What a night. Great band, great venue and
best of all great friends.
Al's Disclaimer:
A short note: The reason I write this is because I love music and words. I do not book acts. I do not promote acts. I do not accept invitations to review artists. I go to venues of my own choice. When and where is not influenced by anything other than who I would like to hear that night or day. If I don't like what I hear, I won't write about it. When I like it I let you all know. I never mention a name without asking permission. "Pardon me, Miss. Would you like to dance?"
~ ~ ~
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