Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Caribbean Jazz Project: Here and Now - Live in Concert

149

Caribbean Jazz Project: Here and Now - Live in Concert

By

View read count
Caribbean Jazz Project: Here and Now - Live in Concert
It seems that every year I get an album that is so impressive, I claim it is the likely to be the best new jazz release of the year. Usually that doesn't happen until August or September. It's only February, and I've already heard two. They may not hold up over the next ten months, but they've set a high standard that will be tough to beat.

The first of these is the Caribbean Jazz Project's Here and Now. Led by Dave Samuels, a specialist on marimba and vibes, this group creates some of the most exciting new sounds on the jazz spectrum. The two-disc set opens with a sizzling performance of "Rendezvous,"? which first appeared on Samuels' solo album Ten Degrees North. Diego Urcola's blistering trumpet leads the way on this high-temp cookout. The group then simmers a Latin flavor into the Oliver Nelson classic "Stolen Moments,"? seasoned by percussionist Roberto Quintero and Samuels' brilliant vibes. These two tracks sum up the strength of this album, recorded in concert at Pittsburgh's famed Manchester Craftsman's Guild. Other classics include extended plays of John Coltrane's "Naima"? and Duke Ellington's "Caravan."?

"Studio recordings are usually a musical snapshot of a band in an artificial setting,"? said Samuels, a former member of Spyro Gyra who still occasionally appears as a guest on the group's albums. "A live recording of a concert is a much more accurate picture of how a group sounds. It also gives the listener a better view of the process of how a group interacts, and interaction is the nucleus of what takes place with a group of improvising musicians."?

Samuels founded the group in 1993 in partnership with Cuban woodwind artst Paquito D'Rivera and steel drum master Andy Narell. After many personnel changes, Here and Now is the group's first live album.

After just one pass, listeners are certain to feel it was long overdue.

Track Listing

Disc 1: Rendezvous, Stolen Moments, Turnabout, Arthur

Personnel

Dave Samuels
vibraphone

Dave Samuels, vibes and marimba; Diego Urcola, trumpet and flugelhorn; Dario Eskenazi, piano; Oscar Stagnaro, bass; Mark Walker, drums; Roberto Quintero, congas and percussion

Album information

Title: Here and Now - Live in Concert | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Concord Music Group

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.