1. Arranea de Nuevo
2. Speak Low
3. Salt Peanuts (Mani Salado)
4. Guarachando
5. I Loves You Porgy
6. Birk’s Works (ala Mancini)
7. Sexy Lady
8. Tin Tin Deo
9. Pavane pour une Infante Defunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess)
10. And Then She Stopped
11. El Huracán del Caribe
12. A Night in Tunisia (Actually an Entire Weekend!)
Collective personnel
Arturo Sandoval – Trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals, bass trumpet
Plas Johnson – Tenor sax
Joey DeFrancesco – B3 Hammond organ
Wayne Bergeron, Dan Fornero, Willie Murillo, Gary Grant – Trumpet, flugelhorn
Jason Carder - Trumpet
Andy Martin, Bruce Otto, Steve Holtman, Dana Teboe, Dante Luciani, Bob McChesney – Trombone
Craig Gosnell – Bass trombone
Dan Higgins – Alto sax, flute, piccolo, alto flute
Rusty Higgins – Alto sax, alto flute, C flute
Bob Sheppard, Rob Lockart, Brian Scanlon – Tenor sax, clarinet
Bob Mintzer – Tenor sax
Greg Huckins – Baritone sax, bass clarinet
Felipe Lamoglia - Saxes
Shelly Berg – Piano
Tony Perez – Keyboard, piano
Gary Burton - Vibes
Chuck Berghofer, Carlitos del Puerto – Bass
Armando Gola – Electric bass
Brian Nova, Dustin Higgins – Guitar
Alexis “Pututi” Arce – Drums, timbales
Gregg Field – Drums, percussion
Joey De Leon, Munyungo Jackson, Tomas Cruz – Percussion
Andy Garcia – Bongoes
Ralph Morrison – Violin, concertmaster
Sara Parkins, Roland Kato – Violin
Roland Kato - Viola
Trevor Handy – Cello
Joe Pesci – Vocals
Cheito Quinones, Sr. – Background vocals
This compilation purports to present us with twelve of the best tracks recorded by trumpeter Arturo Sandoval. The recorded sound is bright as a button, and
the backing bands are mostly huge.
Anyone used to Arturo as a purveyor of high notes may be surprised at the opening Arranea de Nuevo, which starts very quietly and only gradually
pumps up the heat. Sandoval plays the flugelhorn, creating a mellow tone. Speak Low also has Arturo on the flugelhorn in pensive mood. Pianist
Shelly Berg supplies an equally thoughtful solo.
Sandoval’s devotion to Dizzy Gillespie is evident in the appearance of several of Dizzy’s compositions here. Salt Peanuts is given a rather
subdued interpretation until the tempo quickens and the orchestra chants the magical words “Salt peanuts”. Bob Mintzer’s tenor solo is typically
authoritative, and Arturo picks up the trumpet to let loose some fireworks. Gary Burton’s vibes solo settles things down a bit. The percussion is prominent
in Guarachando, written by Felipe Lamoglia, one of the band’s saxophonists. Sandoval swaps his high notes with one of the trombonists (this is one
of the album’s failings: not identifying all the soloists).
I Loves You Porgy
is a feature for Arturo’s emotive (but occasionally out of tune) trumpet, backed only by the rhythm section. Birk’s Works (another Gillespie
composition) features the inimitable saxophone of Plas Johnson, inevitably conjuring up pictures of that pink panther. Joey DeFrancesco’s B3 Hammond organ
brings us back to earth with solid funk. Sandoval solos again, but his intonation is still not perfect.
Moving on to another tune associated with Dizzy Gillespie: Tin Tin Deo, which is again somewhat subdued, with a short female vocal, some trumpet
stratospherics, and a pleasant piano solo from Shelly Berg. Echoing strings introduce Ravel’s familiar Pavane, which Sandoval treats with suitable
reticence. Chris Botti’s trumpet plays a duet with Arturo’s.
And Then She Stopped
is a jolly piece of Gillespiana. Joey DeFrancesco gets to solo before a muted Sandoval takes over. Arturo then takes the vocal on his own composition El Huracán del Caribe, a lively Afro-Cuban piece. The album ends with more Gillespie: A Night in Tunisia. Bob McChesney sends out sparks
on trombone and Ed Calle’s saxophone follows by doing the same. But these are just the prelude to pyrotechnics from Arturo Sandoval, ending in a cadenza
which threatens to blow the roof off. Here, as elsewhere, the big-band arrangements tend to be overpowering and lack subtlety. But this is an interesting
collection showing Sandoval’s talents to the full.
Tony Augarde
www.augardebooks.co.uk
CD Reviews
Concord Jazz CJA 36432-02
