Bobby Sanabria: Quarteto, Ach

I always heard a Jelly Roll Morton "Spanish Tinge" in Gillespie—Parker’s "Shaw ‘Nuff" and sure enough, Bobby Sanabria coaxed a tinge into a full-blown blossom. That is just the first of two Be Bop anthems on this superb Latin-jazz outing. "Shaw Nuff" is blistering under the fire of Jay Collins’ tenor saxophone and Sanabria’s drumming. An auspicious opening that can only be honored with and equally auspicious closing, Sanabria breathes Latin fire into "Be Bop." Perfect tension is maintained by Sanabria’s brilliant drumming and Collins’ equally bright tenor. A strolling 4/4 interlude with a John Di Martino piano solo breaks the festivities just in time as this listener expected whiplash at any moment. "Soleshia" is a cool, off-beat ballad, while "Funky Mr. D" slinks into a light Bossa feel. "Blue" sports some free-form poetry by Roberto Sanabria in front drums and bass. "El Trane" derives its name from Elvin Jones and John Coltrane and serves a fitting tribute to those titans, right down to Martino’s very Tyneresque piano. Khaeon continues to release some of the best Latin-related recordings today.

Khaeon World Music .