When people speak of
Latin jazz
, they're usually referring to a blend of
bop
and
Afro-Cuban
rhythms --
Cal Tjader
,
Dizzy Gillespie
Poncho Sanchez
, and
Mongo Santamaria
are some of the names that immediately come to mind when one hears the term
. But
Latin
music is vast; the cultural contributions of Latinos range from Mexican
ranchera
to Brazilian
samba
to Spanish
flamenco
to Argentinean
tango
. So technically,
could be anything from
bossa nova
to
Miles Davis
'
Sketches of Spain
. Although everything on
Chico Freeman
's
Oh, by the Way
has some type of
influence, not all of the selections are
-minded.
rhythms are a high priority on this
post-bop
CD; the
/
fusion is especially appealing on
"El Mensaje,"
"541,"
"Old San Juan."
But other times, saxophonist/pianist
Freeman
favors more of a
/Spanish blend -- on
"La Luna"
"Guitar,"
the saxman/pianist and his
Guataca
band demonstrate that
are an attractive, perfectly logical combination. Although most of selections are instrumental,
features rapper
Akil Dassan
on
"Mambo Rap"
"Business as Usual"
(which almost sounds like
Eminem
hooking up with an
band). The interesting thing is that
uses
Dassan
in much the same way that saxophonist
Bill Evans
featured
KC Flightt
Ahmed Best
in the '90s; instead of being totally
electronic
gives
some honest to God musicians to interact with. Much to his credit,
provides an album that is unpredictable and broad-minded but doesn't sound disjointed or confused --
, for all its diversity, has a certainly continuity. When a Spanish-influenced piece follows an
-influenced piece -- or when a
rap
offering follows an instrumental --
is obviously on top of things. This excellent CD is as focused as it is diverse. ~ Alex Henderson