Latin Jazz This Week (5/31/10 - 6/6/10)

One of the nicest things about the Obama presidency has been the loosening of the restriction upon artistic exchange between Cuba and the United States. Over the past year, we’ve seen a number of important Cuban dance bands visit the States for high profile tours, which leaves us with one thought - bring on the Cuban jazz! Our wish has been granted recently as guitarist Pablo Menendez and his band Mezcla has been hitting the States for a series of concerts.

Over at Latino Web Cafe, Hector Aviles has spent some time talking with Menendez about music, performing in the States, and more. He provides a short historical written piece and then you can check out the streaming audio for the actual interview. Great stuff, definitely worth checking out - you can find it HERE.

Jazz blogger Peter Hum took a few minutes to spend some time with a few tango jazz albums this past week, sharing his thoughts in a post entitled “Tango Jazz Conspiracy.” He provides some insight into some great albums here, including Bien Sur! from pianist Emilio Solla and his group The Tango Jazz Conspiracy as well as Un Motón De Notas from pianist Emilio Teubal and his group La Balteuband.

He also throws in some videos of terrific live performances from both groups, which really illustrate his points. To top this off, there’s a great interview with tango jazz pianist Pablo Ziegler - an important musicians that spent many years playing with Astor Piazzolla. You’ve got to read this - check it out HERE.

Trumpet player Gabriel Alegria and his Afro-Peruvian Jazz Sextet will be releasing Pucusana independently and they are currently fronting a fund raising drive to support the promotion and distribution of the album. The group will be utilizing a unique fundraising site, Kickstarter, as the home base for their efforts. You can head over and donate as little as $10 to their cause - or as much as you’d like.

Each level of contribution comes with an attached reward, ranging from unreleased recordings to a personal concert from the sextet. At this point, there’s just about 40 days left so don’t delay! It’s a great way to support the growth of Afro-Peruvian Jazz, so head over to Alegria’s Kickstarter site and donate now!

LATIN JAZZ BIRTHDAYS
6/2: Drummer & Percussionist Bobby Sanabria, 1957
6/2: Percussionist Tito Puente, Jr., 1971
6/4: Saxophonist & Clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera, 1948
6/5: Trumpet Player & Conguero Jerry Gonzalez, 1949
http://www.chipboaz.com/blog/2010/05/31/latin-jazz-this-week-53110-6610/