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Home , Daniel Ponce, David Friesen, Jorge Dalto, Lee Townsend, Rodney Franklin

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ON J4ZZ

LATIN IN MANHATTAN — The blending of latin music with is nothing new. TOP 30X1 LBUMS Hell, as far back as Jelly Roll Morton (and perhaps even farther), jazz musicians were figuring out ways of incorporating latin rhythms into their compositions. , Mario Bauza, , Chano Pozo, and others made serious Weeks Weeks inroads into combining the two forms in the ’40s. Well, the past few years have On On seen this blending blossom with new gusto, thanks to a steady stream of young 3/24 Chart 3/24 Chart musicians who are fluent in both idioms. There seems to be an ever-growing group 1 BACKSTREET lifPARA LOS AMIGO of players who play in each other’s bands, lead their own bands, and jam with (Warner Bros. 9 23906-1) 2 20 (Doctor Jazz W2X39204) 19 2 each other whenever the occasion arises. A number of clubs and theaters in New

OwiSHFUL THINKING 17 LYRIC SUITE FOR SEXTET York are getting increasingly hipper and it seems these players are getting the EARL KLUGH & GARY BURTON attention that their (Capitol ST-12323) 4 4 (ECM 23797-1) 17 9 and work hot musical olio deserves. Many of the top 3 G FORCE 18 TRAVELS KENNY Q (Arista AL8-8192) 3 e GROUP players in this category are getting (ECM 23791-1) 20 42 4 IMAGINE THIS together for a concert at the Beacon PIECES OF A DREAM OtHE jazz SINGERS Theatre March 31 that should be a (Elektra 9 60270-1) 1 17 VARIOUS ARTISTS corker. Put on by Orana Productions, ATHINK of ONE... (Prestige P-24113) 22 2 WYNTON MARSALIS 20 SHADOWDANCE who put on (and recorded, and video- (Columbia FC 38641) 8 40 SHADOWFAX taped — call ’em at 212-316-4017 for (Windham Hlll/A&M WH-1029) 16 26 6 ON THE LINE info) a similar concert in Puerto Rico LEE 21 FOXIE RITENOUR in January, the “Salsa Samba All Stars (Musiclan/Elektra 9 60310-1) 6 10 BOB JAMES ODOMINO THEORY (Tappan Zee/Columbla FC 38801) 15 26 Ensemble” consists of Brazilians Flora WEATHER REPORT 22 WINTER INTO SPRING Purim (vocals), (percus- (Columbia FC 39147) 11 3 GEORGE WINSTON sion), Claudio Roditi (trumpet), and (Windham HIII/A&M WH-1019) 24 9 8 FUTURE SHOCK Sergio Brandao (bass); Cubans 23 THE CLARKE/DUKE (Columbia Paquito D’Rivera (alto sax), and Carlos FC 38814) 5 31 PROJECT II VALENTIN’S RAY — Pictured above are /QEORQE DUKE “Patato” Valdez (perc.); Puerto Ricans KfLOVE EXPLOSION Ray Barretto (!) and (r) TANIA MARIA (Epic FE 38934) 21 20 Dave Valentin (flute) and Manolo jamming it up at the Blue Note. They’ll (Concord Jazz PIcante CJP-230) 12 4 ^MAN IN THE MIRROR Baidrena (perc.); Dominican Mario PASSPORT (Atlantic 7 80144-1) — 1 be swinging the Village Gate's "Salsa 10 MARATHON Rivera (sax); New York Latinos Jerry RODNEY FRANKLIN 25 INDIVIDUAL CHOICE Meets Jazz" Series on Monday, April 16. (Columbia FC 38953) 7 7 JEAN-LUC PONTY Gonzalez (perc., trumpet), and Nicky 11 DECEMBER (Atlantic 7 80090-1) 23 32 Marrero (perc.); Argentinian Jorge Dalto (piano); and, from Pennsylvania by way GEORGE WINSTON 26 FILL UP THE NIGHT of Florida, Jaco Pastorius (bass). If it doesn’t burn down the Beacon Theater, (Windham HIII/A&M WH-1025) 10 68 SADAO WATANABE —^ I’ll be a shocked man (I'll also be wearing my asbestos sneakers for nothing). fSiN THE HEAT OF THE (Musiclan/Elektra 9 60297-1) 25 19 It should be pointed out that this will be one rehearsed band — presumably the ^ NIGHT 27 WAYFARER Brazilian JEFF LORBER (Arista AL8-8025) 18 3 JAN GARBAREK GROUP rhythms, and Cuban rhythms, and goodness knows what else, will find (ECM 23798-1) 26 6 13 AUTUMN a common ground. Many of the players listed above lead their own latin/jazz bands, GEORGE WINSTON 28 PAST LIGHT which play around town at the ever-increasing venues for this kind of thing. Dalto WILLIAM ACKERMAN (Windham HIII/A&M WH-1012) 13 51 has the Inter-America Band, Rivera has his Salsa Refugees, Gonzalez shepherds (Windham HIII/A&M WH-1028) 26 5 14 PASSIONFRUIT the Fort Apache Band (with LPs on American Clave, "Ya Yo Me Cure,” and Enja, MICHAEL FRANKS 29 LIGHT IN YOUR EYES (Warner Bros. 9 23962-1) 9 24 ANDY NARELL “The River Is Deep”), Valentin and D'Rivera lead their own units (“Flute Juice,” (Hip Pocket/WIndham Hill HP 103) 30 6 15 IN YOUR EYES GRP, is Valentin’s latest; D’Rivera’s is “Live At Keystone Korner,” Columbia). But 30 JARREAU this is only the tip of the musical iceberg: other players who are fusing the musics (Warner Bros. 9 23744-1) 14 42 (Warner Bros. 9 23801-1) 29 51 of North and South America are congoist Daniel Ponce (who leads two bands — New York Now, with an OAO/Celluloid release of the same name, and Jazzbata), Nana Vasconcelos (with a solo percussion on ECM and another on Europe), FE>rrURE PICKS pianist (with an album on Steeplechanse), percussionist Orlando “Puntilla” Rios (and his Nueva Generacion), pianist/vocalist Tania Maria (with a number of Concord Jazz ), Kip Hanrahan (with two LPs on his AMBER SKIES — David Friesen — Producer; Lee Townsend — Palo Alto 8043- own Amrican Clave — “Coup De Tete” and “Desire Develops An Edge”), pianist N — List: $8.98 Carlos Franzetti drummer , pianist/composer Michele Rosewoman, David Friesen leads an all-star, all-leader date on which the least known player percussionist Pancho Sanchez (his West Coast band can be heard on “Sonando,” is. . .David Friesen. Chick Corea, Paul Horn, Airto Moreira, and Paul Motian all Concord), guitarist/vocalist Toninho Horta (whos Brazilian EMI release features get their tasty licks in, but the leader’s writing and bass playing, and ’s Pat Metheny), Fantasy recording artists Azymuth, and timbale-playing veteran Tito cushiony tenor solos, take top honors. An impressive album all around! Puente (whose Latin Jazz Ensemble copped an ’84 for “On Broadway,” BRAZIL SONG — Mark Murphy — Producers: Mark Murphy, Lupe De Leon — Grammy

Concord). Phew! And, like I said, a lot of these people can be found in each other’s Muse Mr 5297 — List: 8.98 bands. Where to find this music live? The three-plus-year-old “Salsa Meets Jazz” Mark Murphy is a rare bird — a genuine, dyed-in-the wool male jazz singer. series has two latin bands and one jazz soloist cooking every Monday at the Village Here he puts his tonsils to some Brazilian ditties — backed by Viva Brasil — and, Gate: upcoming bills include Puente, Bad Street Boys, and Jimmy Owens (3/26); not surprisingly, the thing cooks. Mark Murphy will find a large audience one Dalto, Chico Mendoza’s Big Latin Dream Band, and D’Rivera (4/2); and Ray Barretto, day, of that we are convinced; particularly if he keeps turning out LPs as sparkling Adelberto Santiago, and Valentin (4/16). SOB’s (Sounds Of Brazil) serves up a as this. steady diet of this stuff in their newly-renovated space: Ponce, Dalto, Vasconcelos MEMORIES AND DREAMS — Sathima Bea Benjamin — Producer: Abdullah Ibrahim and hot Brazilian music from the New York Samba Band, Pe De Boi, and Les — Ekapa 003 — List: $8.98 Etoiles are on the April slate. And there are concert series’ held hither and thither, One of jazz singing’s best kept secrets, Sathima’s talents are fully on display including CCNY’s Aaron Davis Hall (which’ll host Dalto 4/14, and Ruiz here — side one features her moving “Liberation Suite,” describing the struggle 5/12), and the Center for Inter-American Relations (La Troupe Makandal checks in 4/13 and in her native South Africa poignantly and forcefully; side two is a set of standards, Valentin toots in 5/11). Even the Ritz has instituted reworked and wonderful. Backed by some dynamic sidemen — including Onaje a latin Tuesdays policy. ELPEES — The record shelf is bulging. Muse checks in with Willis Jackson’s “Ya Allan Gumbs, Carlos \A/ard, and — Sathima carries the day with style, Understand Me?,” Bill Hardman’s “Focus,” and Mark Murphy’s “Brazil Song;” Palo grace, and swing. (Ekapa has also just released a superb album by Abdullah Ibrahim, Alto sends Elvin Jones, “Brother John;” Dusan Bogdanovic, “Early To Rise;” Larry Sathima’s husband, and Carlos Ward — Live At Sweet Basil Vol. I). Vukovich (with Jon Hendricks), “Cast Your Fate,” and David Friesen, “Amber Skies;” LOST IN L.A. — Bobby Bradford and the Mo’tet — Producer: Giovanni Bonandrini Windham Hill has sent down Alex De Grass!, “Southern Exposure;” and Steven Note distributed List: .;” — Soul SN 1068, by PolyGram Special Imports — 9.98 Miller, “Swinging Whale Songs. . from Uptown we get Frank Wess and Johnny Bradford — a longtime associate of Ornette Coleman and clarinetist John Carter Coles, “Two At The Top;” out of Stash comes Panama Francis And The Savoy — has been underrecognized and underrecorded for his entire career. This two Sultans, “Everything Swings;” Dardanelle and Vivian Lord, “The Two Of Us;” and bass quintet (or Mo’tet, if you will) is the perfect set-up for his compositions Chris Connor, “Love Being Here With You;” and from Black Saint and Soul Note, including hip-shakers “Dirty Rag” and “Sho Nuff Blues” — and his lyrical, blues- by way of Polygram Special Imports, comes “Lost In L.A.,” Bobby Bradford; “Irina,”

drenched cornet playing. Bobby Bradford’s been “Lost In L.A.” too long — it’s Barry Altschul; “Colour, ” Hugh Lawson; “Moment To Moment, ” The Jazztet; “4 time for the rest of the world to catch on. Compositions 1983,” Anthony Braxton; and “Circle Of Time,” Amina Claudine Myers. BOPPING AROUND — The Modern Jazz Quartet waxed its first album in a decade

during a Blue Note appearance, look for it later in the year from Pablo. . .Alto Kool saxophonist Marion Brown offers us his “Recollections;” it’s available in soft cover Jazz Dates Set for $20 from JAS Publications/Eschbornerland-strasse, 14/D-6000 Frankfurt 90/

West Germany. . .Anthony Davis will be gigging with the NY Philharmonic June NEW YORK — Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. has announced the 1984 season 8 when they perform his “Still Waters,” James Newton and Abdul Wadud’ll be of Kool Jazz Festivals. Produced in association with George Wein and Festival along for the ride. . .they may call it stormy Monday, but the area of East 16th Productions, the Kool Jazz Festivals have been around since 1975. This year a dozen Street will be waiting for the sunrise for the next few weeks: father of the electric festivals will bring many of the greats, and soon-to-be-greats of jazz to cities throughout guitar and the modern recording studio (and a legend, indeed), Les Paul climbs ’84 the U.S. The line-up for is as follows: Cleveland (June 7-10), Philadelphia (June down the steps of Fat Tuesday’s for at least two Mondays beginning 3/26; mean- 18-23), Hampton (June 22-24), New York (June 26-July 1), Atlanta (July 6-7), Memphis while, right around the corner, Don Cherry has the Monday date at Tramp’s where (July 25-28), Cincinnati (July 26-28), St. Louis (Aug. 21-25), Chicago (Aug. 29-Sept. he’ll be joined by Billy Bang, Wilber Morris, and Dennis Charles 3/26; . 2), Detroit (Aug. 29-Sept. 3), Baltimore (Aug. 31-Sept. 2), and Houston (Oct. 5-7).

ash Box/March 31, 1984 25