Grammy 2016: Latin Jazz Favorites

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We’re in Grammy month, and the nominees in the Latin Jazz category bring a rainbow of perspectives on the genre.

“Intercambio” and “Identities” are my favorites as Bay Area music professor Wayne Wallace and Puerto Rican innovator Miguel Zenon released great albums.

Latin Jazz Grammy 2016 Nominees:

Besides “Intercambio” and “Identities are Changeable”, which I will discuss more in detail below, the rest of the nominees in the Latin Jazz category are…

“Made in Brazil” (Eliane Elias) – an album on the normal style of the Brazilian singer-pianist, this one focuses on the Brazilian songbook. For me, good Brazilian-styled jazz a la Eliane, but I don’t hear it getting a Grammy.

“Impromptu” (The Rodriguez Brothers) – I had to look this one up in Spotify as I’m rather unfamiliar with Robert and Mike Rodriguez’ work. Turned out to be a great jazz album, one of those that falls in the category of Latinos playing strait jazz, rather than a Latin Jazz album.

“Suite Caminos” (Gonzalo Rubalcaba) – the Cuban pianist maestro brings a Yoruba-themed album, where “santeria” chants are at the forefront of the music. I feel Rubalcaba’s strong emphasis on the “santeria” chants obscures his great music talent. I recently received an album by Wayne Wallace and Michael Spiro that I feel reaches a greater balance of “santeria” and Jazz, witihout one overshadowing the other. Rubalcaba missed the mark, surely by design, but it places the album outside the Latin Jazz category.

“Intercambio” (Wayne Wallace)

Latin Jazz "Intercambio" album cover art
“Intercambio” (2015) is Wayne Wallace’s 5th Grammy nomination of the 10 albums released under his Patois Records independent label.

I found “Intercambio” as my favorite album in this category. It contains a good dose of Afro-Cuban music within a Jazz framework, touching in a diversity of styles within the genre. Some songs remind me of Cuba’s Los Van Van (“Casa de Sol”, “Heart and Soul”) with a more songo-like swing, while other songs go out to explore rhythms like timba, bomba, abacua, and even a ballad (“Circle”).

With a great mix of rhythms within the Afro-Cuban and Latin music catalog, Wallace, along with his now usual accomplices of his Latin Jazz Quintet (Michael Spiro, Colin Douglas, David Belove, and Murray Low), achieved the next level of performance and balanced variety of Latin Jazz elements, which should provide the 5-time Grammy nominee, a Grammy for what is in my opinion the best album in the category.

“Identities are Changeable” (Miguel Zenon)

I’ve written and interviewed the Puerto Rican saxophonist, arranger, composer, and band leader before, particularly about this work (see “Miguel Zenon’s Jazz Story of Puerto Rican Diaspora”).

This is another great concept and even better execution by the man many consider as one of the most innovative minds in jazz. As good as this album is, and if you haven’t listened to it, you should, there are two reason why I give an edge to “Intercambio” over “Identities”.

“Identities are Changeable” is really a documentary of the Puerto Rican diaspora and its consequences in today’s generation. Based in the work of recently passed author Juan Flores, Zenon masterfully frames audio interviews with his expanded musical band, which expanded his composing and arranging skills to deliver a fine piece of jazz work within an audio documentary.

Besides being a “musical documentary” (and a great one at that), the music in “Identities”, as most of Miguel Zenon’s music, is straight jazz, not Latin Jazz, making it another album in the “Latino playing Jazz” category.

But make no mistake…I loved this album!

Good Jazz and Latin Jazz

In summary, this year’s Grammy nominees in the Latin Jazz category bring a mix of great music in the Jazz, Brazilian Jazz, and Latin Jazz genres. My pick for “Intercambio” is based in that it not only is a well-executed, carefully-balanced album, but also is the one that best represents the Latin Jazz genre of the nominees in the category.

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