April 12 - Show #81

Theme: Louie Ramírez
Song-Artist-Album-Lael

Tropical breeze – Mongo Santamaría – Instant Party – Concord Records

I’m on my way – Cándido – Compilation A Gozar! – Blue Note

La descarga del Bobo – Willie Bobo – Juicy – Polygram

Sax con ritmo – Jack Costanzo – Compilation Masters At Work present Latin Sounds – Verve

McCanna – Les McCann – Compilation Masters At Work present Latin Sounds – Verve

Latin bit – The Jazz Crusaders – Compilation Masters At Work present Latin Sounds – Verve

Rhapsody in Blue – Chucho Valdés – Briyumba Palo Congo – Blue Note

Los pingaleros – Jerry González & The Fort Apache Band – Moliendo Café – Sunny Side Music

Q.T.P. – Raynald Colom – #Sketches of Groove# – Fresh Sound New Talent

I say a little prayer – Sexteto Electrónico Moderno – Sounds from the Elegant World -groovy night club music from Uruguay 1968-71 – Vampisoul

Llegando a la capital – Jaime Delgado Aparicio – Original Motion Picture Sondtrack ‘El Embajador y Yo’ – Vampisoul

Un poco más – Charlie Sepúlveda – The New Arrival – Antilles

In case you missed it – Marlon Simón and the Nagual Spirits – In Case You Missed It – Jazzheads

Barcelona – Bill O’Connell – Latin Jazz Fantasy – Random Chance Records

Somewhere over the rainbow – Peter MacDonough – The Wizard of Oz -A Latin Jazz Suite for Soprano Saxophone – Self-produced album: www.petermacdonough.com

Spain – Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra & Quintet – Jazz Flamenco – RCA/BMG

Tangos del fuego – Chano Domínguez – New Flamenco Sound – Verve

El llanto de la lluvia – Diego Amador – Piano Jondo – Milestone Records

Alfonsina y el mar – Diego El Cigala – Cigala & Tango – WEA


Highlights of the show:

Tonight´s Latin Soul brought a tune from the jazz flamenco fussion pioneer Lionel Hampton to the airwaves of North East Texas and the Internet... In a set dedicated to a crossover overview of flamenco and jazz, the tune “Spain” was a truly hightlight of the show.



Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra & Quintet recorded in RCA studios in Madrid, Spain this jewel entitled “Jazz Flamenco”. It was the year 1956 and it was probably the first attempt to put these two musical genres together. Lionel Hampton has been one of the main figures of jazz, starting his career in the 30's, playing the vibraphone for Louis Armstrong and later becoming part of the Benny Goodman Orchestra. Starting as vibraphonist, his abilities include piano playing, percussion, writer and producer. By the decade of the 1940's, he started his own group, the Lionel Hampton Orchestra. His recordings and performances has been large and almost never ending until his death in 2002.

Hampton´s orchestra was one of the first, if not the first, jazz bands to tour Spain after the country devastating civil war in years 1936-39 and extremely poor times in the postwar period in the decade of 1940's. Apart from dictatorship strict political times, the late 50's showed some slight economical recovery at least in big cities like Madrid and Barcelona. It was in these cities that Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra toured around, and falled for the spell of the flamenco music.

In Madrid, Mr. Hampton had the chance to see the perfomance of a flamenco band, and the charm of María Angélica, who didn´t pass as a star of flamenco, made him to have a recording in Spain where she would be guest and both musical styles would came together. The result is a smooth album of vibraphone cool bop jazz with castanets introduction and codas to the tunes. Some of the tunes were written for the occasion, making references to the experience in the title: “Lovely nights in Spain”, “The bullfighter from Madrid”, “Hamp´s jazz flamenco”, “Spain”, “Hot club of Madrid serenade”, “Toledo blade”, or “Flamenco soul”. Had the songs had a presence of Spanish guitar in them, the outcome would have achieved a higher grade of compenetration of sytles. Only castanets, doesn´t add that much to the flamenco part, however. This is a cool jazz album, with a devotion feeling for flamenco in it. A nice attempt to fussion both styles, being the flamenco a bit faded in the overall picture. Recomendable, nonethless, to know what musical exploration gets to, and to enjoy Lionel Hampton good work. It´s worth to point the presence of Tete Montoliú at the piano, who toured with Hampton in Spain and France that year of 1956, and helped to launch internationally the most acclaimed Spanish jazz piano player.

April 5 - Show #80

Theme: Chin chon chow – Louie Ramírez
Song-Artist-Album-Label

A la luna yo me voy – Elíades Ochoa, Toumani Diabate et al. – Afrocubism – Nonesuch/World Circuit

La culebra – Elíades Ochoa, Toumani Diabate et al. – Afrocubism – Nonesuch/World Circuit

Mambomozart – Klazz Brothers & Cuba Percussion – Classic Meets Cuba – Sony

Cachaíto in laboratory – Orlando Cachaíto López – Cachaíto – Afrocubism – Nonesuch/World Circuit

Piel canela – Las Rubias del Norte – Rumba Internationale – Barbes Records

Los teenagers bailan changui – Marc Ribot y los Cubanos Postizos – The Prosthetic Cubans – Atlantic

Siempre me va bien – University of North Texas Latin Jazz Ensemble – En Clave – North Texas Jazz

El toro – Jerry González & The Fort Apache Band – Moliendo Café – Sunny Side Music

I mean you – Mark Weinstein – Jazz Brasil – Jazzheads

Batucada – Eliane Amherd – Now And From Now On – Self-produced album: www.elianeperforms.com

Nothing will be as it was – Sarah Vaughan – Brazilian Romance – CBS

Gostoso veneno – Carmen Lamarque – Live from Lima – Self-produced album: www.carmenlamarque.com

Bert’s bossa nova – Bert Kaempfert & His Orchestra – Compilation The Bossa Nova Exciting Jazz Samba Rhythms Vol. 5 – Rare Groove Recordings

Jogo da vida – Tamba Trio – Compilation Can You Dig It? – Brown Sugar Records

Serra acura – W. Hill – Morphine Mambo Jazz Club – Qualiton Imported Ltd.

Minha saudade – Cannonbal Adderley – Compilation From Latin… To Jazz Dance Vol. 5 – Rare Groove Recordings

The boulevard of broken dreams – Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica – The Unforgettable Sounds of Esquivel – Self-produced album: www.orchestrotica.com

Ibérico jazz – Quinteto Montelirio – Ibérico Jazz – Vampi Soul

Sería feliz – Julieta Venegas – Bueninvento – BMG/Ariola

Paloma – Pacifika – Asunción – Six Degrees Records

Barataria – Palo Viejo – Estás Aquí Ahora – Self-produced album: http://www.myspace.com/paloviejo


Highlights of the show:

A long time played on the air album in Latin Soul has been the highlight of the show tonight. The wonderful tune ‘El toro’ out of the album ‘Moliendo Café’ was the perfect contrast to shift from one end to another among all the tunes that Latin Soul offered tonight. Next, you may find the review of the album where ‘El toro’ may be found in.



Jerry González is a reference trumpeter in the Latin jazz scene of nowadays. Born in New York of Puerto Rican parents, he started The Fort Apache Band in 1994 with his brother Andy at the bass, and the today renowned drummer and percussionist Steve Berrios. From that year and the album ‘Crossroads’ as first of their discography, they have gone a long way up to ‘Obatalá’ released in 2006, many have been the albums of Jerry González and The Fort Apache Band. Jerry González has also a series of albums under his own name.

‘Moliendo Café’ was released in 1995 by Sunny Side and it means a perfect blend of the old school jazz style that Mr. González plays the trumpet with a Latin tinge given by The Fort Apache Band. More jazzy than Latin at times, it is a perfect mix of both musical influences, letting being carried more by the melodies and the evolution of the leading trumpet than letting the percussion take over. The overall tone is one of melancholy inviting to listen to in solitude. The whole album makes you feel the magic of the great works of jazz, as the mastery of the musicians is remarkable. A great sample for those who want to start enjoying of Latin jazz, and for those who want to know more of this genre. Definitively a landmark in contemporary Latin jazz.