Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Cal State Los Angeles Jazz Orchesta and Afro-Latin Ensem...

86

Cal State Los Angeles Jazz Orchesta and Afro-Latin Ensemble: The Unlikely Event

By

View read count
Cal State Los Angeles Jazz Orchesta and Afro-Latin Ensemble: The Unlikely Event
This is the second album I've reviewed in less than a month with the title The Unlikely Event. What's more, both were recorded by college ensembles (the other was the University of Northern Iowa), and on both, the "Event" is the album's second track. How unlikely is that? I'll leave it in your hands.

The Cal State Los Angeles Orchestra, directed by Jeff Benedict, actually premiered "The Unlikely Event,"? whose author, Chris Merz, directs the UNI Jazz Ensemble, in May 2001. Merz then returned to Northern Iowa and recorded the chart with his own ensemble. Coincidence resolved, along with the rationale behind its name, which Benedict affirms in the liner notes "refers to the canned announcement one often hears on an airline flight crossing the great plains of America: 'In the unlikely event of a water landing, your seat belt can be used as a flotation device.'..."?

So much for similarities. The only other one I can unearth is that the CSLA and UNI ensembles are both first-class; neither Benedict nor Merz would have it any other way. The album in hand is evenly divided between Benedict's Jazz Orchestra and the CSLA Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble, another splendid group directed by Paul De Castro.

The orchestra, which peforms admirably throughout, opens with Thad Jones' snappy "Three in One,"? moves on to "The Unlikely Event,"? nails Oliver Nelson's moving ballad "I Hope in Time a Change Will Come,"? and closes with its least persuasive number, Bob Mintzer's "San Juan Shuffle."? Soloists aren't listed, but Benedict writes that trumpeter Rick Espinoza and baritone Geena Biondi are heard on "Three and One,"? drummer Kennieth Alexander on "San Juan Shuffle"? (with an unnamed trombonist).

The Afro-Latin ensemble is suitably playful and passionate, prancing through a quartet of rhythmic motifs, the first of which, "Bilongo,"? features Latin percussion instructor Bob Fernandez as lead singer. The program includes a cha-cha, "La Enganadora,"? and Cuban son, "Francisco Guayabal."? Everything is bright and well-built, as is the album as a whole.

Personnel

Album information

Title: The Unlikely Event | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Unknown label

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.