PAPO VAZQUEZ - Mighty Pirates Troubadours, Chapter 10: Breaking Cover
Picardo Records (self -produced)
Papo Vazquez (tb, v,ky); Ivan Renter (ts,ss); Rick Germanson (p); Ariel Robles (b); Alvester Garnett (d) with percussionists and musicians doubling chorus, guests including alto sax Sherman Irby.
Recorded NYC 30 June & 1 July 2020.
Vazquez spent time jamming in NYC at an East Village location in the 1970s as a teenaged trombone player. He continues a 40- year career with this recording, planned in March 2020 but blocked by a NYC lockdown. The ensemble finally made it in June and July and have produced a lively mix of jazz, Latin Jazz and Puerto Rican music. The opening track has a bright, crusty trombone solo from the leader and a burst of percussion from conga, bongos, Pandero de Plena and other exotic instruments of rhythm. Although the Latin rhythms are used quite extensively, they never swamp this music, which is, predominantly, bop, blues or straight jazz. The leader is an accomplished trombone soloist who improvises freely over the material, all of it composed and arranged by him. He is well supported by Ivan Renta whose tart tenor solos add considerably to the improvised solo strength. Sherman Irby only appears on three tracks but adds vibrant alto sax to the proceedings.
The ballad, Shadows, is played slowly where Vazquez has a choppy but lyrical outing and there is good work from pianist Germanson and bassist Robles. Some tracks feature chants which are provided by the percussionists and bassist Robles. A slow Broke Blues at the end offers a good, basic workout on this genre with the leader on good form on trombone and the piece is not dissimilar to the sort of chart played by the Art Blakey Jazz Messengers way back in the early sixties. The seven- piece band when not using guests or percussionists does very well playing variations of hard bop, blues and ballads. A fresh, rather different programme mix overall but well worth investigation.
Reviewed by Derek Ansell
Picardo Records (self -produced)
Papo Vazquez (tb, v,ky); Ivan Renter (ts,ss); Rick Germanson (p); Ariel Robles (b); Alvester Garnett (d) with percussionists and musicians doubling chorus, guests including alto sax Sherman Irby.
Recorded NYC 30 June & 1 July 2020.
Vazquez spent time jamming in NYC at an East Village location in the 1970s as a teenaged trombone player. He continues a 40- year career with this recording, planned in March 2020 but blocked by a NYC lockdown. The ensemble finally made it in June and July and have produced a lively mix of jazz, Latin Jazz and Puerto Rican music. The opening track has a bright, crusty trombone solo from the leader and a burst of percussion from conga, bongos, Pandero de Plena and other exotic instruments of rhythm. Although the Latin rhythms are used quite extensively, they never swamp this music, which is, predominantly, bop, blues or straight jazz. The leader is an accomplished trombone soloist who improvises freely over the material, all of it composed and arranged by him. He is well supported by Ivan Renta whose tart tenor solos add considerably to the improvised solo strength. Sherman Irby only appears on three tracks but adds vibrant alto sax to the proceedings.
The ballad, Shadows, is played slowly where Vazquez has a choppy but lyrical outing and there is good work from pianist Germanson and bassist Robles. Some tracks feature chants which are provided by the percussionists and bassist Robles. A slow Broke Blues at the end offers a good, basic workout on this genre with the leader on good form on trombone and the piece is not dissimilar to the sort of chart played by the Art Blakey Jazz Messengers way back in the early sixties. The seven- piece band when not using guests or percussionists does very well playing variations of hard bop, blues and ballads. A fresh, rather different programme mix overall but well worth investigation.
Reviewed by Derek Ansell
