At the Point, Vol. 1 - Papo Vazquez

Mar

14

At the Point, Vol. 1 - Papo Vazquez

≡ Category: 1990s, Hard Bop, Latin Jazz, Recommended, Reviews |
≅ Written by: Michael Kydonieus

JAZZBO NOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING

Rating:

Recorded live at The Point, a club in the Bronx, At the Point, Vol 1 is about equal parts Latin and hard bop. As an arranger, Papo favors a dense stew of horns scored in the mid-register, with no less than 3 Latin percussionists and a drummer bringing the rhythms to a boil underneath, and pianist Arturo O’Farrell (Chico’s son) contributing a Tyneresque patter with his right hand and thundering clusters with his left on piano. The solos by Papo (trombone), Willie Williams (tenor sax), and guest Michael Brecker (tenor sax) are consistently fine, successfully mining the hard bop mother lode.

And come to think of it, mining is a good metaphor for these sessions. It all sounds like a lot of work. There is very little that’s light or playful about this music, but on the other hand, it is consistently intelligent and challenging. The one bone I would have to pick with At the Point, Volumes 1 concerns the ballads, which strike me as a bit on the sentimental side.

But, if you are into latin jazz and hard bop, At the Point Vol 1 is well worth owning.