The Latin Jazz All Stars show isn't just a concert, it's an explosive event.
An interesting thing about the Latin Jazz All Stars: While the genre remains the same, the band is a revolving group of high-caliber musicians that changes from year to year. This year's band brings its high-energy performance to Detroit's Jazz Café at Music Hall Saturday.
"My three words to describe the band are 'phenomenal,' 'earth-shaking' and 'bedazzling,'" says Jason Franklin of M.F. Productions from his home in Atlanta. He would know. He created the Latin Jazz All Stars show more than a decade ago.
"The Latin Jazz All Stars is a musical extravaganza that features the top Latin jazz players of the day," Franklin says.
"When we say Latin music we mean Afro Cuban, salsa, Brazilian. You name it, we cover the gamut of Latin music," he says.
"The first show was in 2001 at Blues Alley in Washington, D.C. That first group was Steve Turre (trombone and seashells), Ray Vega (trumpet), Arturo O'Farrill on piano, John Benitez (bass), Mario Rivera tenor sax," Franklin says. "Then in '03, we came back with Giovani Hidalgo on percussion, Dave Valentine was on flute, Hilton Ruiz on piano and John Benitez was still with us, and we brought in Junior Terry (bass).
"So folks come in and out, kinda like the thing with Art Blakey. Once you're a Jazz Messenger, you're always a Jazz Messenger. So once you're a Latin Jazz All Star, you're always a Latin Jazz All Star."
With an ever-changing roster of musicians, maintaining the quality of the sound really depends on the players, according to Franklin.
"We have the best," he says. "And when you have the best, no matter who's there, when you have somebody of high caliber, you're gonna get what you need, gonna get something good."
Latin Jazz All Stars musicians have led their own bands and performed with such renowned artists as Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Grover Washington, Max Roach, Paul Simon and Dionne Warwick, to name a few.
Read More The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130124/ENT04/301240304#ixzz2J7PZm5q8
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