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Catch the Groove: Live at the Penthouse 1963-1967
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Barnes and Noble
Catch the Groove: Live at the Penthouse 1963-1967
Current price: $27.99
Barnes and Noble
Catch the Groove: Live at the Penthouse 1963-1967
Current price: $27.99
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Arriving on Record Store Day in 2023,
by vibraphonist, composer, and bandleader
is an event. Despite a catalog spanning four decades,
seems almost a marginal figure in the 21st century. He was arguably the first non-Latin musician to completely devote himself to establishing Latin jazz as a genre and a commercial success from the '50s until his death in 1982. Between 1967's
and 1977's
,
melded cool jazz, hard bop, boogaloo, salsa, guaracha, Latin funk, and fusion on fine recordings such as
, and
. That said, the tide may be blowing in his direction again. In January, electronic producer
featured
's "Samba Sueno" as the lead cut on
. In April, the vibraphonist's
, an obscure but star-studded 1978 direct-to-disc LP, was remastered and reissued. In May, esteemed critic
published a review of it and celebrated
's '70s recordings.
is presented by
's
label. It offers 27 unreleased performances from
's headline stints at Seattle's Penthouse. They were engineered and recorded by
, a local DJ who also broadcast some of these performances. Among
's sidemen on these dates are pianists
, percussionist
, bassist
, drummer
, and more.
On disc one,
, a serious jazz vibraphonist, opens his 1963 gig by swinging
's "Take the A-Train," followed by
's "In Your Own Sweet Way" and
's "It Never Entered My Mind" before delving into samba on the Brazilian standard "Manha De Carnaval" and driving descarga on his "Insight." The entire collection is shot through with excellent, joyful performances of jazz standards juxtaposed with Latin and pop fare. From the middle to the end of disc one is a trio of Latin jazz jams with
's cooking son "Pantano" sandwiched between
's lithely grooving "Davito" and the breezy "Leyte." His playing is crystalline as it circles outward from the root melody rhythmically and harmonically. That's easily heard on the wonderful, fingerpopping reading of "Love for Sale," "Lush Life," "I Can't Get Started," and
's enduring "Cuban Fantasy," while his own compositions "Fuji" and "Soul Burst" reflect that clarity using a breezier approach. The readings of
's "Maramoor Mambo,"
's samba "O Morro Nao Tem Vez," and
's "Mambo Inn" reflect a developed approach to Latin jazz, as do the pop tunes here --
's "The Shadow of Your Smile" and
's "Along Comes Mary" are transformed into burning Latin jazz.
The sound throughout is balanced and warm, though some tracks are prematurely faded at their peaks to make room for others. The booklet contains rare photos and liner essays by
, interviews with
and
, and musical evaluations by
. This fantastic reissue is an elemental portrait of
the innovator, forging a singular path through jazz. ~ Thom Jurek