Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Bobby Sanabria: Vox Humana

6

Bobby Sanabria: Vox Humana

By

Sign in to view read count
Bobby Sanabria: Vox Humana
The opening track on Vox Humana could easily have been the encore of this live performance recorded at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola, part of Jazz At Lincoln Center in New York City. It is a rousing version of the Duke Ellington crowd pleaser "Caravan" and a boisterous Latin tinged big band version it is, with Matthew Gonzalez 's barril de bomba and requinto pandereta, bandleader and drummer Sanabria and others on congas, bongos and bells prominently leading the percussionists and portending the unfettered upbeat joy to come.

It might help with the lyrics, but you don't have to speak Spanish to understand this music because melody, rhythm and music are universally understood forms of communication and the top notch performances by vocalists and instrumental soloists express it so wonderfully in these songs. The second track, "Capullito De Aleli," is another stand out cut, and features vocals by Jennifer Jade Ledesna as well as great solos by pianist Darwin Noguera and Andrew Gould on alto sax.

The good-time music continues on track five with Antoinette Montague singing the 1946 Louis Jordan hit "Let The Good Times Roll" featuring Armando Vergara on the trombone with plunger mute. Then a couple of tracks later the tempo slows a bit with Montague again singing the Gershwins' "I Love You Porgy."

On the tenth track vocalist Janis Siegel of the The Manhattan Transfer steps up front with a great version of "Spooky" featuring some fine scat vocals. A couple of cuts later she sings the Steely Dan hit "Do It Again" along with Ledesna and Montague joining in, and Noah Bless on trombone and Gabrielle Garo on flute.

While the intention of this album seems to be to feature vocalists, the instrumental soloists and the big band as a whole all shine with tight arrangements and inspired solos. The final track, "Mi Congo," shows us this with violinist Benjamin Sutin starting an array of solos including trumpets and saxophones and percussionists.

In 2023 it may be hard to imagine a time when jazz music was a mainstream popular music, where people would go to clubs, concert venues and dance halls to dance and party. This album recalls those times with updated arrangements and perfect execution.

Track Listing

Caravan; Capullito De Aleli; Puerto Rico, Partido Alto; Let The Good Times Roll; Who Taught You That; I Love You Porgy; Genie In A Bottle; Amazonas; Spooky To Be With You; Do It Again; Mi Congo.

Personnel

Additional Instrumentation

Oreste Abrantes: congas; Matthew Gonzalez: bongó cencerro, barril de bomba, requinto pandereta, ganza, Puerto Rican guicharo, agogo; Takao Heisho: Cuban guiro, agogo bells, claves, cuica, pandeiro, maracas, shekere, tambourine; Leo Traversa: electric bass; Max Darché: lead trumpet; Dave Miller: lead trombone; Ben Sutin:electric: violin; Gabrielle Garo: flute; Andrew Gould: alto. sax; Peter Brainin: tenor sax, Jeff Lederer: tenor sax; Danny Rivera:bar sax;Matt Hilgenberg: trumpet; Jonathan Challoner: trumpet; Andrew Neesley: trumpet;Noah Bless:trombone; Armando Vergara:trombone; Chris Washburne: bass trombone

Album information

Title: Vox Humana | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Jazzheads

Comments

Tags


For the Love of 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 create 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.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve 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

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

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