Don't overlook these guys!
Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 09/14/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Dave Samuels, one of the original founders of The Caribbean Jazz Project (with Andy Narell and Paquito D'Rivera), has emerged as the sole survivor of a band that has always been a brilliant idea but has not always lived up to its conceptual genius: He's the only one pictured on the jewel box insert; he's the producer; half the tunes are his; and his name appears under the band's name on the cover of the jewel box insert.I thought CJC's last disc, The Gatherting, was something special. This one continues their arc of greatness and even tops it. I was skeptical about this disc. After all, it is missing most of the players that made the previous CJP discs work: Paquito, Andy, and, more recently, Dave Valentin and Steve Kuhn. Moreover, it contains no woodwinds--nary a flute or sax to be heard. Instead, it is billed as an investigation into the role of the trumpet in Afro-Cuban jazz music. Well, I'm not the world's biggest trumpet fan; I've had my fill of retro-maestros, upper-register pyrotechnic practitioners, and brass bad boys. Plus, my own feeling is that the piercing sonics of the trumpet generally need to be balanced by the earthiness of a sax.So I came to this disc with a good deal of skepticism. But not to worry. The CJP seems to have come together very nicely, thank you, with the departure of its most heavyweight players. Those remaining--Dario Eskenazi on piano, Rueben Gonzales on e-bass, Dafnis Prieto on drums, and Roberto Quintero on congas and percussion--have gelled very nicely. They work together seemlessly as an ensemble, and each is becoming a very fine soloist. Eskenazi, especially, strikes me as an emerging piano giant in Latin jazz. And Prieto really knows how to make things cook. You know how a good deal of Latin jazz comes across as a lot of fast notes without much soul? Well, these guys can burn when they need to, but they they're also awfully tuned in and conversational.Also, the inclusion of some very tasty guest appearances by Randy Brecker (trumpet), Romero Lubambo (guitar), Mark Walker (surely one of the very finest Latin drummers on the scene), and Cafe on percussion notch things up to a higher level.Again, I almost didn't pick this one up, but I'm glad I did. This is a truly hot band, one that just keeps getting better and better."
A Bird of a Feather
Cootie Saidit | CA United States | 02/08/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The words Caribbean Jazz Project got me to put on the headset at Borders and listen to this the first time. I love this CD. It communicates freedom, precision and passion. I was instantly immersed in the first cut-I felt like I was flying. When saw that the title of the piece was Birds of a Feather I knew I was one. Their Gathering CD is highly acclaimed though I felt its taste to lean toward New Age Jazz. But Birds of a Feather is decisively Afro-Cuban and movin'. Rhythms rhyme, their motifs morph, building interest and keeping the pieces fresh as their fires burn. Over the drums tasty bass dances and I perceived an economy of notes that have intellectual appeal as well as eliciting an appreciative acknowledging grunt at certain places. CJP understands the psychology of the listener demonstrated in their arrangements of rhythms, melodies, the element of surprise yet being predictable, being constantly new and still maintaining continuity. If you don't get a chance to hear this CD before you buy it, just buy it anyway. You are going to love it too."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1