Ill See You In Cuba - Pablo Mezcla Menendez CD

Pablo Menendez is not your average everyday Afro-Caribbean or Latin jazz musician. His vision of this music stretches back to traditional jazz and show tunes and up to electric urban blues, modern post-bop, Cuban or Puerto Rican music, and contemporary neo-bop spawned in the 1970s. As a guitarist he is strong individually in these varied styles or disciplines, but as a bandleader he stretches out even further, taking his Mezcla ensemble into these disciplines of jazz and music both beyond and including Latin sensibilities. While not a person who composed any of this material, Menendez is more a facilitator for his able bandmates, especially saxophonist and pianist Orlando Sanchez, who wrote four of the ten selections. The wonderful flute player and pianist Magela Herrera, trumpeter M yquel Gonz lez, and percussionist Octavio Rodriguez comprise the core of this group, with several guests on selected tracks. In the Latin vein, Benjamin Lapidus Quin Tiene Ritmo is a cool tune with the juicy flute of Herrera, Homenaje a Afro Cuba is the most vibrant at over 11 minutes in vital descarga jam trim, and El Mdico de los Pianos integrates all the players in that they each get a turn to state a melodic phrase in handoff fashion, then move on. Sanchez puffs out his chest on the tenor sax feature Big Brecker in a furious neo-bop pace, and accounts well for himself, while the urban Chicago-based Chicoys Blues has Menendez cutting loose loud and proud ... la Luther Allison. Where Chuchos Blues reverts back to the funky Brecker Brothers-type groove of the 70s, Oslo is different altogether in its evocative tomes, soft and languid with electric piano and sighing guitar under a clockwork beat. Interestingly enough, the zingers are the jazz tunes, with Irving Berlins novelty tune Ill See You in C.U.B.A. putting on the ritz in fun swing and funny jive fashion, while a fresh and sweet arrangement of Round Midnight is done in mambo or cha cha style with the full horn section, urged on by the guitar of the leader. In the liner notes by Arturo OFarrill, he warns those inclined to pigeonhole so-called salsa music to not be so hasty in their uninformed judgment. From start to finish, this is a delightful recording, full of good feelings and great musicianship, and far from clich. TRACK LISTING: 1. Big Brecker 2. Qui n Tiene Ritmo 3. El M dico de los Pianos 4. Ill See You in C.U.B.A. 5. Chicoys Blues 6. Oslo 7. Chuchos Blues 8. Round Midnight 9. Homenaje a Afro Cuba 10. Chicoys SonAdditional Info: Personnel: Pablo Menendez (vocals, guitar); Magela Herrera (vocals, flute, piano); Las Elas (vocals); Orlando Sanchez (tenor saxophone, piano); M?yquel Gonz?lez (trumpet, flugelhorn); Roberto Garc?a (flugelhorn); Alejandro Vargas, Jos? Luis Pacheco (piano); Oliver Valdes, Renier Mendoza: (drums); Juliol Noro?a (guiro); Samuel Formell (timbales); Octavio Rodriguez (percussion).

Specifics

• Album: Ill See You In Cuba
• Artist: Pablo Mezcla Menendez
• Label: ZOHO MUSIC
• Genre: Jazz, Latin
• MPN: ZM 201001

1. Big Brecker
2. Quien Tiene Ritmo
3. El Medico De Los Pianos
4. I'll See You In CUBA
5. Chicoy's Blues
6. Oslo
7. Chucho's Blues
8. 'Round Midnight
9. Homenaje A Afro Cuba
10. Chicoy's "Son"

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