Cal Tjader's Latino!, released by Fantasy in 1994, is actually a combination of two LPs originally released on the same label in 1960 -- Latino! and Demasiado Caliente.

The album captures the melting-pot sensibility of the legendary vibraphonist's band in the late-1950s, a time when immigrants from various Latin American countries, U.S.-born Latinos and American jazz musicians merged various musical ideas -- and in so doing, redirected the course of Latin and American jazz for the remainder of the century.

The album showcases six separate versions of Tjader's band, with a roster of soloists that includes flutist Paul Horn, saxophonist José "Chombo" Silva, and pianists Vince Guaraldi and Lonnie Hewitt. At the core in all six sessions are percussionists Willie Bobo and Mongo Santamaria.

Demasiado Caliente comprises the first nine tracks of the CD, and Latino! the last six. The high points are numerous, but "Tumbao" (written by Tjader) is especially noteworthy for its churning percussion interlude, courtesy of the aforementioned two-man team. The majestic "Bludan," a big-band piece written by pianist Eddie Cano, features flutist Modesto Brisano, who doubles on alto sax.

On the second half, the names change somewhat but depth and richness of the music remain intact. The hypnotic "Afro Blue" features Horn's flute acrobatics atop Hewitt's percussive piano lines, while Silva blows a controlled yet brilliant tenor sax on a freewheeling version of Dizzy's "A Night in Tunisia."

More than just a series of 14 Latin jazz tracks, the two recordings bound together in Latino! have served as a guidebook for both Latin and American musicians in the five decades since they were pressed.

PERMALINK • • RSS

During a recent performance, East L.A. favorite son Poncho Sanchez and his Latin Jazz Band turned USC's Bovard Auditorium into a tropical oasis. Hometown fans filled the theater, energizing the band with their shouts of approval as the octet pumped out their sultry Afro-Cuban grooves.

After an opening set by Chicano sketch comedy troupe Culture Clash, the band took the stage. Wearing his trademark Kangol hat and Grizzly Adams beard, Sanchez led the band into "Tropic Blue," slapping a solid rhythm on his flame-painted drums. I was a bit concerned when smoke began curling out from backstage, only to realize it was part of the act when the trippy Fillmore-style light show began, throwing geometric patterns across the stage floor.

Floating across a scrim behind the band were photos of either stalks of green bananas or extremely choice buds of sinsemilla. Apparently what led Sanchez to devote his most recent recording, Raise Your Hand, a tribute to the R&B of the '60s, isn't merely musical interest but a lifestyle. One can't help but wonder if Cheech and Chong might have been a more appropriate opening act.

Sanchez plays comfortably with his long-time associates, bassist Tony Banda and pianist David Torres. Seeding the old guard with young-guns in the horn section and on timbales creates the perfect blend of a high-energy yet solidly professional sound. Trombonist Francisco Torres, a talented young writer/arranger, and trumpeter Ron Blake are recent USC Thornton school alumni, adding another layer to the homecoming vibe that pervaded the event.

Starting this year, Sanchez is funding an annual scholarship for USC music students through the Mexican-American Alumni Association. His music alone is enough to inspire young players, but this gift will go a long way in helping some to realize their potential. Behind the big beard is a big-hearted guy.

PERMALINK • • RSS

More than three decades after super-group La Perfecta's demise, founder Eddie Palmieri revisited many of the band's original compositions on La Perfecta II with a new crew dedicated to the classic sound.

In the early-'60s, salsa and Latin jazz legend Palmieri assembled the line-up, an eight-piece combo whose flute/trombone front line proved to be influential for American jazz artists like Herbie Mann and many others. Plagued by financial problems, however, Palmieri disbanded the original group in 1968.

Years later, following the death of trombonist/partner Barry Rogers in 1991, he vowed to never again play music from the La Perfecta period. However, trombonist Doug Beavers' diligent transcriptions of earlier La Perfecta compositions, along with an assembly of high-caliber musicians, forced a change of heart that resulted in this 2002 recording.

Classic compositions like "El Molestoso," "Cuídate Compay," "Tu Tu Ta Ta," "Tirándote Flores" and "Ay Qué Rico" are all executed "with the same degree of sophistication, expertise and understanding of the complex structural engineering generated by the original sound of my first eight-piece ensemble," said Palmieri. In addition to the original material are five new compositions: "Shékere Agent Man," "Apeiron," "Elena, Elena," "Our Routine" and "Cuddles." All of the new materials merge seamlessly with the classic tracks to create a satisfying whole.

Joining Palmieri on the new sessions are many of his longtime collaborators, including trumpeter Brian Lynch and trombonist Conrad Herwig, as well as saxophonist Mario Rivera and percussionist John Rodriguez, Jr.

"The musicians on this CD are presented in a fashion to showcase their own brilliance at once independent and unified," said Palmieri. "Each individual and unselfish talent is what makes the collaboration so successful."

PERMALINK • • RSS

Caribbean Jazz Project's aptly titled Afro Bop Alliance is what happens when two of the most innovative Latin jazz bands north of the Equator pool their talents and resources as composers, musicians and arrangers.

Vibraphonist Dave Samuels co-founded the Caribbean Jazz Project in the early 1990s with saxophonist Paquito d'Rivera and steel pan drummer Andy Narell. D'Rivera and Narell have since moved on, but Samuels keeps the project alive by handpicking players for each successive recording and tour. This time, he enlists the aid of the Maryland-based Afro Bop Alliance to come up with fresh new horn-intensive arrangements for nine of CJP's signature pieces -- some by Samuels himself, others by a few of the most influential composers in jazz.

Arrangements by Afro Bop trombonist Dan Drew bring a level of energy to the nine-song set that complements but never crowds the CJP rhythm section of bassist Max Murray, drummer Joe McCarthy and percussionist Roberto Quintero. Floating above it all is Samuels' shimmering vibe work, which brings countless layers of subtlety and complexity to Coltrane's "Naima" and Monk's "Bemsha Swing," as well as several of Samuels own compositions, most notably "Rendezvous," "Five for Elvin" and "Picture Frame."

"Repackaging something that had been played a lot in a smaller group made me hear the music in a new light," says Samuels. "If you're the performer, you react to it differently. And if you're the listener, you may have head these tunes with a small group, but it's a completely different experience hearing it with this big band."

PERMALINK • • RSS