The inaugural Spring 2007 Ahora, Latin Jazz! Series took place in the fabled Schenectady Whisperdome, 1221 Wendell Avenue, Schenectady, NY 12308, home of another Capital Region Jazz Series, A Place for Jazz. Our series was dedicated to the memory of two giants of jazz and Latin jazz whose untimely deaths took place both in 2006: Ray Barretto and Hilton Ruiz.

Ray Barretto (1929-2006) was born in New York City of Puerto Rican parents. He was raised in Spanish Harlem and at a very age was influenced by his mother's love of music and by the music of artists such as Duke Ellington and Count Basie. In 1946, when Barretto was 17 years old, he joined the Army. It was while stationed in Germany that Barretto heard Dizzy Gillespie’s “Shaw ‘Nuff”” with Charlie Parker and “Manteca” with Cuban percussionist, Chano Pozo and realized his true calling in life. Back at home he started to visit clubs, playing in jam sessions to perfect his conga playing. On one occasion Charlie Parker heard Barretto play and invited him to sit in with his band. While playing for José Curbelo he was invited to play with Tito Puente and recorded with Puente the famed Dance Mania sessions in 1957. Barretto was the most sought-out conga player by Jazz musicians and recorded with dozens of them over his lifetime including Lou Donaldson, Red Garland, Art Blakey, Herbie Mann and many, many others.  In 1961 he jumped onto the Charanga bandwagon as a band leader and in 1967 he signed up with Fania, acquiring the Hard Hands sobriquet after his second recording with the company and cementing his status as a Salsa icon with dozens of albums and numerous hits. In 1973 he ventured into jazz territory as a bandleader with The Other Road (Fania SLP 00448) and from 1991 to 2005 he recorded ten (Latin) jazz albums. Barretto won a grammy in 1990 for the salsa album Ritmo en el Corazón (Fania JM651), was nominated for a Grammy for his penultimate recording Time Was, Time Is (O+Music 109, 2004), and shortly before his passing was granted NEA’s Jazz Master Award in 2005. 

Puerto Rican Jazz pianist Hilton Ruiz (1952-2006) was a musician of uncommon versatility, shuttling seamlessly between the complex improvisations of the avant-garde and the relentless rhythms of Afro-Cuban music. Born in New York City, Ruiz was a child prodigy who performed at Carnegie Recital Hall at age eight. In addition to classical studies,he explored jazz under the tutelage of the legendary Mary Lou Williams. His remarkable improvisational gifts cemented his decision to pursue a career in jazz. He backed everyone from Freddie Hubbard to Joe Henderson and was prominent as a bandleader as well, with numerous recordings spanning a 30-year-plus career. Just before his tragic and untimely death he recorded with Ray Barretto in Standards Rican-ditioned (Zoho zm 200610, 2006) and with Chembo Corniel and Andrea Brachfeld in Beyond Standards (CAP 000, 2006).

Ahora, Latin/Jazz!, Spring 2007 Series Concert Performers. Clockwise from top left: Andrea Brachfeld and Wilson “Chembo” Corniel, Beyond Standards Ensemble, May 11, 8:00 pm; Sonido Isleño, May 16, 8:00 pm; Bobby Sanabria & Quarteto Aché, May 25, 8:00 pm. More photos in Gallery.

November 15, 2007 Lecture, “Latin Jazz: The Other Jazz” with Dr. Chris Washburne

Photos by Colwyn Allen

 

Dr. Chris Washburne

Listen-in

 

Wine & Cheese

 

Talk-in: “That was great!”

 

Latin jazz: The other jazz

By: Colwyn Allen

 

On November 15, 2007 a contingent of music lovers and supporters of Jazz/Latino, inc. gathered at the commodious abode of Dr. José E. Cruz for a lecture/fundraiser with Dr. Chris Washburne.  

 

Chris Washburne is one of those rare musicians whose musical activities cross many styles and cultural borders. From early in his career he refused to be pigeon-holed as just being a jazz or classical player, but instead has continually pursued a diverse path. He has received rave reviews for his jazz and classical performances as well as being called "one of the best trombonists in New York" by The New York Times. Brad Walseth of JazzChicago.net writes that Chris "is one of the most intelligent and interesting thinkers in modern music, as well as being perhaps the most important trombonist performing today" (2006). His group SYOTOS is the busiest Latin jazz group in the city, performing over 125 concerts annually.

 

Washburne treated his audience to a presentation filled with little known facts about the early days of what is called Latin jazz. He started writing about Latin jazz eighteen years ago, in order to make up for the absence of material in English on the subject and to add to the traditional story of jazz’s origins. The atmosphere was relaxed and informal. The listeners appreciated his personable, hip, and friendly style. He also creatively used music to illustrate much of the information he provided.

 

Dr. Washburne is currently an associate professor of ethnomusicology at Columbia University and the founder and director of the Louis Armstrong Jazz Performance Program. He also works as a studio musician and plays the trombone, bass trombone, tuba, didjeridou, and percussion with various classical, jazz, rock, and Latin groups in New York City. He also tours extensively with various groups and has performed throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

 

The event was one of many planned and sponsored by Jazz/Latino, inc., and it was certainly in step with the organization’s acknowledged goal---to enrich the cultural environment of the capital region through concerts, lectures, and other activities that promote the values of diversity, pluralism, and cultural understanding.

  

 January 20th, 2008 Lecture and Performance:

“There is no racism here!”

Mario Bauzá and the Development of Latin Jazz

By Dr. José E. Cruz

with 

Music by 

The Pete Sweeney Trio

Photos by Colwyn Allen

 

 “There’s No Racism Here!”

 Interesting talk!

 

Gozando con Jazz! Nick Lue (keyboard), Greg Brown (bass), and

Pete Sweeney (drums)

 

A drummer (Pete Sweeney), a lawyer (Walter Ramos, congas), and a

Ph.D. (José Cruz, bongó) walk into a bar…

 

No Racism Here!

By Colwyn Allen

 

It is said “there is nothing new under the sun.” This is a truism that cannot be disputed. However, there are new variations on familiar themes. In the space of about a month, I’ve found myself at the home of Dr. José Cruz twice, this time for what turned out to be an enlightening, entertaining, and socially fulfilling evening. It was another lecture/fundraiser, but on January 20th there was music performed live by the Pete Sweeney Trio. The lecturer was Dr. Cruz himself. The title of the presentation was There Is No Racism Here. The subject was legendary Cuban musician Mario Bauzá.

 

Dr. Cruz was very comfortable with the subject. His knowledge was extensive and delivered as if he was an on-the-scene witness to Bauzá’s life and times. Mario Bauzá, born in Havana, Cuba in 1911 was one of the most influential figures in the development of Latin jazz. In Havana he was trained as a classical musician on the oboe and clarinet. After immigrating to New York at age 19, he quickly learned to play the trumpet and earned a spot in Chick Webb’s orchestra. Dr. Cruz explained that the title of the lecture stemmed from Bauzá’s initial impressions of the musical scene in New York. Chick Webb’s was a Harlem based band. The musicians were Black. To Bauzá’s eye in New York black musicians had a freedom and license unknown in Cuba. Unmindful of the larger racial scenario in America, he concluded that wow, “there is no racism here.”

 

Later, Cab Calloway hired Bauzá. It was in Calloway’s band that he met Dizzy Gillespie. Gillespie and Bauzá worked together for several years. The fusion of Bauzá’s Cuban musical heritage and Gillespie’s advancements in bebop created Cubop, one of the first forms of Latin jazz.

 

Dr. Cruz demonstrated, as he would throughout the lecture, exhibiting his talent as a percussionist, that Latin music is defined by the clave. The clave is a five beat pattern that sets the pace and determines the rhythm. It is the secret to this music. Bauzá of course had innate knowledge of this, and merely adapted it to the jazz arrangements they were playing.

Bauzá worked with many notable artists, made numerous recordings and eventually worked as the musical director of the Afro-Cubans, led by his brother-in-law Frank Grillo a.k.a as “Machito.” He held that job for thirty-five years. Bauzá returned to the recording studio for the last time in early 1993 to record the CD titled "944 Columbus." It was named after his apartment in Manhattan where he lived for fifty years. Mario Bauzá died at home on July 11, 1993. Bauzá’s outstanding work has led many jazz historians to call him the "founding father of Latin jazz."

 

After the lecture we were treated to some excellent jazz by the Pete Sweeney trio. Pete Sweeney, drummer, educator, and author has been a full-time professional musician since 1983. He has studied with Dave Calarco and the great Joe Morello and has recorded and performed with many great musicians in the rock, blues, and jazz idioms. Locally, he has played with the Adrian Cohen Trio, Sensemayá, and the Joey Thomas big band.

 

He was joined by Greg Brown on acoustic bass and Nick Lue on keyboard. They played beautifully and at length. It was an evening to remember.

 

This event was another one of many planned and sponsored by Jazz/Latino, Inc. - a non-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to the promotion of jazz and Latin jazz education and appreciation. The organization seeks to enrich the cultural environment of the capital region through concerts, lectures, conferences, and clinics. Jazz/Latino, inc. is committed to the values of diversity, pluralism, and cultural understanding. The lecture/performance was certainly in step with these goals.

Showing of Documentary

“From Mambo to Hip-Hop”

February 24, 2007, 4:00 pm at Jazz/Latino, inc., 1 Bonnie Dr, Guilderland, NY 12084;

March 9, 2007, 4:00 pm at Amrose+Sable Gallery, 306 Hudson Avenue, Albany, NY 12210

The Spring 2008 Ahora, Latin/Jazz! series took place in April and May in collaboration with the Viva Latin Jazz! program of the Guilderland  Public Library, 2228 Western Avenue, Guilderland, NY, 12084 and at the Schenectady Whisperdome, 1221 Wendell Avenue, Schenectady, NY, 12308

The Spring 2009 Ahora, Latin/Jazz! series marked Jazz/Latino’s 3rd anniversary. The series included performances by Ballet Hispanico with Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra (in cooperation with the Egg), Bobby Sanabria at the University at Albany, and concerts at the Schenectady Whisperdome by Willie Martinez La Familia Sextet and Chris Washburne and the SYOTOS Band. The series was sponsored by Metroland, Hermies Music Store, Euphonic Audio and Price Chopper. Funding was provided by the Arts Council of the Capital Region, Schenectady County Initiative Program, Assemblyman Peter M. Rivera, the University at Albany’s Commission on Diversity and Affirmative Action, Music Department, Latin American, Caribbean and U.S. Latino Studies Department, CELAC, and Alianza Latina as well as the Albany Latin Fest Association, Java Jazz Cafe, TAMA, REMO, Sabian, Vic Firth, Latin Percussion, and individual contributions. See photos in Gallery.