Search - Babatunde Lea :: March of the Jazz Guerillas

San Francisco Bay Area percussionist Babatunde Lea is an established session musician who's worked with such jazz folk as Pharoah Sanders, McCoy Tyner, and John Tchicai, but he's focused more on Latin since the 1970s. March of the Jazz Guerrillas, Lea's Cubop debut, features such heavyweight players as pianist Hilton Ruiz, bassist Alex Blake, and master percussionists Bill Summers (of Herbie Hancock's Headhunters and Los Hombres Calientes fame) and Munyungo Jackson. Of course, the real star is Lea, whose powerful playing drives this album with an urgency remarkable even for Latin jazz standards. However, while Latin rhythms are the order of the day, there is some snappy bop playing from saxophonist Richard Howell, trumpeter Khalil Shaheed, and trombonist Angela Wellman. March finds the leader in his prime, surrounded by a great band. Moreover, it makes a fine addition to Lea's legacy of recordings that will enhance anyone's collection. --Tad Hendrickson