LATIN JAZZ CDs

  Acoustic guitarist Ricardo Silveira and pianist Luiz Avellar along with percussionist Robertinho Silva are quite qualified to play and interpret the songs of Milton Nascimento, as at various times they have all been members of his band.

 How appropriate, then, that the opening tune on their live concert album PLAY THE MUSIC OF MILTON NICASIMENTO which honors the great composer should be by his own favorite composers Lennon & McCartney - beautifully redone.

 Silveria's guitar-picking attack can go from a country bluegrass intensity to a Wes Montgomery swing  - all in less than the breath of one solo.

 Luiz Avellar's piano playing goes from playful to serious and back, with seamless ease.

 Fans of M.P.B. (Brazilian popular music) may be a little disappointed to find that this is definitely a jazz album, but if they jsut sit back, relax and listen, they should be just as delighted as the folks at the live concert.

 Two (sometimes three) musicians playing beautiful music in a delightful manner: that's Ricardo Silveria and Luiz Avellar at their best.

1. SON ZUMBON
2. TRAVEL LOG

  A sophisticated jazz singer from Peru? Yes, Peru: in the last 100 years jazz has spread to every section of the globe bringing forth fine Latin jazz musicians from New York, Cuba and Brazil alike.

 After the discovery of the Afro-Peruvian music scene and great vocalists like Susanna Baca, it was only a matter of time before a really good Peruvian jazz musician or singer would show up.

 Corina Bartra has degrees in jazz percussion (two schools!) and a masters in vocal performance. Like so many jazz masters before her, Corina Bartra resides in the New York area where she not only plays but can study the works of all those artists who came before her, building the international sound of jazz to what it is today and making her vocal winner SON ZUMBON stand apart from the crowds.

 Most listeners will probably compare Colrina Bartra's vocals with those of expat Brazilian singer Flora Purim: yes, there are strong similarities, but Bartra's work is smoother, showing a respect of 1970s avant garde, but not fully joining it. 

 Thus she provides jazz music in SON ZUMBON  that's intellectually stimulating but still keeps the toes tapping most of the time.

 With her TRAVEL LOG cd, the much-traveled jazz singer Bartra branches out from the usual jazz/Latin influences, getting her toes wet in rock and Peruvian folklore, among other things.

  She even tries her hand at a patriotic protest song with her self-composed 'American People Are on the Rise', an answer to the destruction of the Twin Towers in New York, sung in English.

 Corina's small group does an excellent job backing her up and helping her realize her concepts and compositions: musicians include Eddie Martinez on piano, Steve Berrios on drums, Santi Debriano on bass guitar, and more.

 Yuma Sumac fans might get a kick out of 'Kacharpari' - a tine taken from Peruvian folklore (more! more!) - and how about a Jimi Hendrix tune without a guitar on it? Yes - you can concentrate on her vocal and the beauty of the composition without comparing the skills of the guitarists.

 Radio programmers should pay particular attention to the almost pop/reggae tune 'More Than You Can Afford': the double- and triple-tracking (overdubbing) of Corina's voice really works on this cut, and on her 'Fountain of Green'.

 TRAVEL LOG has the potential to push Ms. Bartra's fan base out beyond the relatively narrow continues of the jazz world: let's hope it does.

 As her music goes through its changes, listeners will be frequently reminded of Flora, Celia Cruz, Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughn, and more.

  A great new jazz artist has been discovered: get ready, world!

  At first glance FIREHEART looks to be yet another flamenco guitar cd: but wait, is that a touch of bossa nova in the background, underlying the classic flamenco style on 'Sound and Surf'?

 It doesn't take too many cuts to discover that Tony Lasley's artistry is not limited to a flamboyant flamenco style: FIREHEART embraces the best of elements of Latin jazz guitar as well, adds bosa nova underpinnings, and injects a degree of flamenco for added attraction.

 The result's Latin guitar with a flair: classic riffs restyled and reborn, and a penchant for transitions between flamenco and jazz to create a very pleasing end result.

1. CUMBIA Y MAS
2. CUMBIA DEL NORTE

 Don't expect a classic cumbia atmosphere on CUMBIA Y MAS: it's pure jazz replete with a beat and Latin roots.

 'Cumbia Gorda' is a sax-dominated jazz standard, while 'Just Jump' is a percussion-dominated, fast-driving rumba.

 More rhythmic than most jazz records - yet most definitely jazz, CUMBIA Y MAS is a recommended pick for fans of straight-ahead jazz.

 Greg Ribot's CUMBIA DEL NORTE starts off even more accessibly: in 'Cumbia Lyla' you can actually hear the cumbia in the background, albeit more sophisticated than the cumbia fan might anticipate.

 Very smooth, pleasant listening, 'Cumbia Lyla' features acoustic guitar and a flute with the soft cumbia backdrop and Latin jazz professional overtones.

 'Cumbia macho' adds more rhythmic beats but that same accessible, smooth flute keeps listeners interested.

 Where other Latin jazz productions are based on Cuban rhythms, Greg Ribot bases his on Columbian - but his rhythms are urban sophisticated, not the rural cumbias so common in Latin productions.

1. NOCHES EN EL TALLER
2. CRUZANDO EL MAR

  The Latin jazz group Grupo Los Santos provides a serious jazz style from New York, mixing Cuban and Brazilian sound into the mix.

 Grupo Los Santos' NOCHES EN EL TALLER, their first album, was released in 2000: they don't sound anything like the avant-garde tones of their modern contemporaries, but are more polished - and accessible - players.

 Subtlety is a cornerstone of the Grupo Los Santos: you won't find far-out solos or jarring riffs here: they use the standard American instruments of jazz and rock players to incorporate sounds played by indigenous ethnic musicians from Brazil and Latin America.

 NOCHES EN EL TALLER presents less Americanized tones than some of the groups coming out of Brazil itself.

 CRUZANDO EL MAR  introduces a fine sax solo and a more lively tone from the outset, yet retains its listenability for fans of jazz of the late 1950s and early 60s.

 The enhanced cd also holds a movie for Quicktime software holders.

 From Brazilian jazz ala Jobim to Afro beats, CRUZANDO EL MAR offers many changes throughout: all of which are most pleasurable and accessible to the general jazz listener.

 1. Dreamtales by Claudia Villela with Kenny Werner
2. Os Filhos Do Vento by Weber Iago

  Sparse vocals and piano mix the talents of jazz avant-garde players Claudia Villela and Kenny Warner in DREAMTALES, a piece which will please fans of modern jazz in general.

 Villela grew up in Rio listening to the samba school's music next to her home - but DREAMTALES reflects far more jazz than Latin, so don't expect the bossa nova beats so common to the genre.

 If it's intellectual jazz vocals you seek, with sparse but precise presentation, choose DREAMTALES: no rhythm, no harmony, no melody - just bright vocal adventures into the madness and captivating world of modern jazz.

 Weber Iago also was born in Rio and he too began his musical explorations early.

 OS FILHOS DE VENTO is a composition of classical, jazz and Brazilian influences written about the Roma gypsy people.

 No Roma influence mars the smooth pieces of jazzy keyboard works and clarinet/oboe throughout, however: this too is pure jazz with little Latin influence other than the background of its creator.