April 27 - Show #51

Theme: Chin chon chow – Louie Ramírez

Song-Artist-Album-Label

Rumdrum – Tómas Einarsson – Compilation Putumayo Presents Latin Jazz – Putumayo Records

Changuí para Alfredo – Jane Bunnett – Radio Guantánamo: Guantánamo Blues Project Vol. 1 – Blue Note

Milestones – VW Brothers – Muziek – Patois Records

Baila guajira – Latin Percussion Jazz Ensemble – Just Like Magic – Latin Percussion Inc.

Rhapsodia del maravilloso – Sabú & Arsenio Rodríguez – Palo Congo – Blue Note

Cómo se goza en el barrio – Marc Ribot – Y Los Cubanos Postizos (The Prosthetic Cubans) – Atlantic

Mama Inés – Grant Green – The Latin Bit – Blue Note

Samba de Orpheus – Grant Green & Big John Patton – Iron City – 32. Jazz Records

Grazing in the grass – Willie Bobo – Talkin’ Verve – Verve

Yeh! Yeh! – Mongo Santamaría – Compilation From Latin… To Jazz Dance Vol. 5 – Rare Groove Recordings

Guaguanco stroll – Wali & The Afro Caravan – Compilation A Gozar! – Blue Note

Thousand finger man – Cándido – Thousand Finger Man – Blue Note

Wave – Elli Fordyce Sings – Songs Spun of Gold – Fordyce Music

Obsession – Sarah Vaughan with Milton Nascimento – Brazilian Romance – CBS

What a difference a day made – Carmen Lamarque – Live in Lima – Self-produced: carmenlamarque.com

Strangers in the night – RG Royal Sound Orchestra – Impact – RG Records

El muerto vivo – Peret – Éxitos Originales – BMG

Un mundo raro – Concha Buika – El último trago – Warner Music Spain

El agüíta del querer – Martirio with Chano Domínguez – Acoplados – RTVE Música


Highlights of the show:

'Latin Soul' offered tonight two tunes by Grant Green where the great guitar player showcases a Latin approach to his work. Both were renditions to classics from Cuba and Brazil respectively. Thus, the Latin guitar jazz by Grant Green becomes the highlights of tonight´s 'Latin Soul'.




1961 recorded and 1963 Blue Note release, Grant Green´s “The Latin Bit” was remastered and rereleased in 2007. Out of the extense Mr. Green career, this is his approach to Latin music, precisely in a time where it was common ground that many of straight jazz stars would try to explore new paths along the Latin soundscapes. The characteristic Grant Green´s plucking style is dominating the melodies from beginning to end of the album, accompanied by a bassline of percussion. As a result, a mellow overall tone offers almost an hour of Afro-Cuban classics, like “Mambo Inn”, “Mamá Inés”, “Tico tico”; together with samba tunes, “Brazil”; and renditons to classics as “Bésame mucho” and “Granada”. There´s room to Mr. Green compositions as “Blues for Juanita”; and more renditions as “My little suede shoes” and “Hey there”. Maybe the variation of approaches does not make the album work as a well blended piece, but yet it shows great moments and highlights of Latin jazz in the unusal format of guitar jazz and Afro-Cuban percussion support. All in all, a good album to enjoy Grant
Green´s musicianship, and the good deeds of the expertise of Willie Bobo and Carlos 'Patato' Valdés taking care of the percussion section. Lastly, despite the attempts of the musical cultural blend showcased, the artwork in the cover shows ignorance of the vast manifestations of Latin culture: Grant Green´s Latin outfit has nothing to do with the Latin musical approach given to his album. Let´s just keep it to the music, then.