By DON HECKMAN, Special To The Times.
Los Angeles Times, Tuesday, April 24, 2001
Saxophonist David Sanchez and trumpeter Arturo Sandoval are among the
most visible artists in the category generally labeled "Latin jazz."
Despite their countries of birth, however (Sanchez is from Puerto Rico, Sandoval
from Cuba), it is the caliber of their playing that most distinguishes them. As
their performances before a full house at UCLA's Royce Hall Sunday night
superbly revealed, Latin jazz has no single definition, its qualities as diverse
as the imagination and invention of the players it encompasses.
It's interesting to note, in fact, that both groups were manned by a
majority of players from areas beyond the borders of the United States. In the
Sanchez Sextet, the countries of origin ranged from the Caribbean to Europe;
Sandoval's ensemble contained only a pair of U.S. players.
Yet the pure jazz quality (if there is such a thing) of the music was
undeniable, and the skill with which it was rendered was irresistible. The
Sanchez group has been working together for several years, and the easy,
intuitive symbiosis that can take place between musicians who know and
anticipate each other's every move, was constantly apparent--especially in the
joined-at-the-hip ensemble interaction between Sanchez and his front-line
companion, alto saxophonist Miguel Zenon.
Most of the group's too-brief set traced to music from "Melaza,"
Sanchez's Grammy-nominated album. Continuing familiarity with the material,
however, has developed the interpretations well beyond the performances on the
CD. Sanchez, in particular, has expanded his palette, in one case generating a
solo that carried him to the outer limits of improvisation, past the chords,
into the stratosphere of musical liberation.
Sandoval's program was essentially the same collection of material he
has been using for the past year or so, most of it showcasing his extraordinary
individual talents. Playing fast, playing high, playing with a nonstop flow of
ideas, his trumpet work--like that of his model, Dizzy Gillespie--balanced
escalated creativity with an irresistible ability to entertain. Not stopping
there, he played piano and timbales and offered a crowd-pleasing collection of
his inimitable scat singing. As with Sanchez, it was a musical offering that had
less to do with genre or label than with sheer jazz talent.
Copyright © 2001 Los Angeles Times |
