| Somewhere along the line, somebody
decided that jazz music could be seperated from its sources and
defined as a seperate musical genre. However, those pesky influences
that had helped create the hybrid known as jazz kept coming back
in one form or another as each generation of jazz musicians looked
to these sources to feed fresh ideas into the music. So, we began
to get a variety of "sub-genres" of jazz--latin jazz,
afro-cuban jazz, world music-influenced jazz. It's laughable, when
you think about it. Jazz is often referred to as an American artform,
and that's accurate in as much as the United States is where all
these influences came together, melded, formed and re-formed to
finally create what we recognize as jazz. But of the tributaries
that fed into the mighty jazz river, very few actually came from
the New World. Instead, the sources were Africa, Cuba, the Carribean,
South America, and Mexico/Central America. Blues was America's major
contribution to jazz, just as it also contributed to what eventually
became R&B, soul, and rock & roll.
Los Hombres Calientes seem to have instinctively
grasped this concept. As you might expect from their name, they
have always been interested in the connection between Latin/Hispanic
music and what many would consider more traditional forms of jazz.
Their first two albums explored this connection beautifully and
to great effect. Though quite serious in intent, you can't help
feel that you are part of the world's biggest party when you listen
to them play, which I would consider the highest of compliments.
Rather than giving the impression of an academic exercise, Los Hombres
make their case and prove their point by delivering their musical
fare authoritatively and getting you to rejoice, smile, laugh, pray,
dance, and learn right along with them. When it's over, you aren't
asking "hey, was that jazz?" You're wondering, "man,
where can I get some more of that?"
The anchors of Los Hombres are Irvin Mayfield, a pyrotechnic
trumpeter who plays and composes both classical and jazz music,
and Bill Summers, a multi-percussionist best known for his work
with Herbie Hancock's Headhunters. Both of these artists are heavily
interested in New Orleans music history as well as the music of
the Carribean and African-derived rhythms in general. Drummer Jason
Marsalis, who manned the drums on the first two Los Hombres outings
is replaced here by Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez, who
has previously worked with McCoy Tyner, Michel Camino, Carlos Santana,
Steve Winwood, and Tito Puente. Hernandez is a great addition to
the Los Hombres fold, and does a great job of pushing the amazing
musicians on this recording to a frenzied peak of creativity.
The various sessions on the third Los Hombres Calientes
album, New Congo Square, were recorded in New Orleans, Havana,
Cuba, Montego Bay, Jamaica, and in the Dominican Republic. The members
of the band were instantly comfortable in all these locales, and
the musicians they worked with were also comfortable with them,
sharing a common culture that went beyond the geographic boundaries
of their own countries. As Irvin Mayfield states: "I first
noticed that when they responded to me being from New Orleans, it
was as if I were a relative coming to visit. Being from New Orleans
means something different than being from anywhere else in the United
States. We have our own indigenous food, dance, dialect, and style
that has had an influence on the places we travelled and vice versa."
New Congo Square opens with "Foforo Fo
Firi", a hot Latin groove that may bring to mind Cuban trumpeter
Jesus Alemany's band Cubanismo! This is followed by the 2-part "Mark's
Groove". Part One, "Brother Runnin'" features Mayfield's
sultry plunger trumpet work along with nice rhythm work by pianist
Victor Atkins and contra bassist Edwin Livington. Part Two, "Brother
Gettin' Caught" features a more explicity Latin rhythm with
solo trades between Mayfield and Atkins that increase in heat right
up until the number's conclusion. "Fantazias De Samba",
a minor-key samba, features wonderful call-and response vocals featuring
John Boutte, Phillip Manuel, Bill Summers, and Carlos Dudu Martiniz.
We get back to New Orleans with a vengeance in the
Mayfield-composed number "New Second Line", a riotous
explosion of Big Easy marching sound that features a large ensemble
including Kermit Ruffins and Delfeayo Marsalis. It's hard to comprehend
how this loose, freewheeling party atmosphere was acheived in the
studio--it sounds for all the world as though it were recorded while
the band was indeed marching down the streets of the city. "Jah
Rastafari" makes explicit the relationship between reggae music
and the rhythmic complexities of a lot of New Orleans jazz and post-WWII
R&B music. "New Bus Stop", which is dedicated to Curtis
Mayfield has the sharp pop-inflected horn sounds of one of Mayfield's
great Impressions recordings.
And so it continues throughout this excellent recording.
Whether exploring the soft Brazilian rhythms of "Corcovado",
the Bob Marley rock/reggae of "I Shot The Sherrif", or
working their way through the orginal compositions of Mayfield and
Summers that form the album's backbone, Los Hombres Calientes never
misses a step (or a beat). This is an album for jazz afficianodos,
New Orleans music fans, Latin music fans, and anyone who wants to
get down to some serious partying with music that is complex, uplifting,
and drenched in the history of the countries, cities, and islands
that rim the Gulf of Mexico.
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