Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Luis Munoz: Invisible

296

Luis Munoz: Invisible

By

View read count
Luis Munoz: Invisible
Luis Muñoz is a man of many parts. Not only does he play several instruments, he composed, arranged and orchestrated all the music on this recording. His adaptability is further underscored by the scope of his writing that encompasses several styles all of which make an impact.

Muñoz, who was born in Costa Rica, played in rock and jazz groups in his native country before moving to the United States in 1974. He soon began writing music for documentaries, animation films, dance and theatre. His first compositional project, commissioned by the Government of Costa Rica, was Costa Rica —Costa Rica. It was not long thereafter that he signed with CBS Records and released La Verdad in 1988. Perhaps his most ambitious recording came in 2007 with Of Soul and Shadow (Pelin Music), on which his compositions captured Costa Rican folklore, classical music and jazz through the vision of 25 musicians.

Though he uses 23 musicians here, Muñoz breaks the conglomeration into units ranging from a duo to an octet. This serves his purpose well as he channels his music into the straits that make them stand up and sing—or, in the case of "Esperanza," glow with meditative beauty. Bassist Tom Etchart and classical guitarist Chris Judge not only understand the emotion of the tune but each other also, turning on the glow.

"Adam's Dream" switches the beat, dancing on a percussive bed that is stirred by the several instruments that Muñoz plays, over which trumpeter Jonathan Dane describes a dreamy arch. The latter mood is expanded by Muñoz, who unravels his ideas on piano in an illuminating and flowing stream. The arrangement adds to the overall ambience as it captures the instruments, giving a voice to each.

Two tunes featuring vocals juxtapose themselves as beacons of Muñoz's ease in different genres. The gospel inflected "Hymn" has an earthy vocal from Lois Mahalia, with Muñoz adding to the texture on piano. The sizzling Latin song, "Manantial," has a sassy vocal from Teka Pendiriche, with chromatic harmonicist Ron Kalina adding to the tang.

With Invisible, Muñoz has created a framework that dimensions his music in all of its beauty and essence.

Track Listing

Adam's Dream; Luz del Sur; Sobrevivencia; Hymn; De Alma y Sombra; Malabarista; Esperanza; Manantial; Tango y Sangre de la Media Noche.

Personnel

Luchito Munoz
producer

Luis Muñoz: piano (1-4, 6, 9), Fender Rhodes (8), synthesizer (1), drums (1, 2, 4-6, 8), cajón (1, 2), caxixi (1, 2), bombo legüero (1, 2), djembe (1), chekere (2, 3), percussion (3, 6, 8), tama (3), alto flute (9), pad (9); Ramses Araya: bata drums (1, 3), cajó, cymbals, bongos (6, 8); Jonathan Dane: trumpet (1, 2, 6, 9); Jeff Elliott: trumpet (6); Tom Etchart: fretless bass (1, 6), electric bass (4, 8), acoustic bass (3, 5, 7, 9); George Friedenthal: piano ( 1, 2, 5), pad (2, 6,); Adam Asarnow: piano (3); Narisco Sotomayor: electric guitars (1, 8); Nico Abondolo: acoustic bass (2); Robert Clements: chekere (2); Bill Flores: pedal steel guitar (2); Gilberto González: acoustic guitar (2) John Nathan: marimba (2); David Binney : alto saxophone (3); Justin Claveria: tenor saxophone (6); Brad Dutz: quinto (3), percussion (3), marimba (6); Jimmy Calire: Hammond B3 Organ; Lois Mahalia: lead vocals (4), background vocals (4, 8); Chris Judge: acoustic guitar (5), classical guitar (7); Ron Kalina: chromatic harmonica (8); Teka Pendiriche: lead, background vocals (8); Andy Zúñiga: background vocals; Laura Hackstein: violin (9); George Quirin: acoustic guitar.

Album information

Title: Invisible | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: Pelin Music

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.