Kimson Plaut: Ubatuba

With just enough crackling, in-the-pocket nutritious melodies and chords, fortified with Brazilian —New York tinged—, under and over currents, Kimson Plaut’s work could have become a type of jazzy Special K had he not drowned in Puerto Rico while enjoying one of his favorites activities on November 17, 2001. Plaut's parents had retired to that island in the Caribbean and he was fond of going for a swim to a local beach that inspired the tune "Luquillo" included in this recording. No seeker of overly exotic, brainy, experimental, or lamely smooth Jazz needs to pursue this matter any further, nonetheless. This is an unyielding present-day work, genres notwithstanding. Therein lies quite a bit of its charm and enjoyable respite as it evokes familiar jazz feelings amidst Brazilian-Jazz compositional territory.

As far as I know, this is the last time trumpeter "Puchi" Boulong recorded. Boulong was active in the New York Latin scene until the early ‘70s. In this excellent recording, you can also listen to special guests such as Paquito D’Rivera, Leny Andrade and Johnny Almendra, Plaut’s former boss in the New York group Los Jóvenes del Barrio.

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