Fascinating Cuban jazz Senor Groove – LITTLE HAVANA: This fantastic little CD is ALREADY a clear winner in my book… the group has many players I’ve never listened to before… here’s the player list… Roddy Smith (guitar), Tim Smith (bass), Marcelo Perez (drums), with guests Ed Calle-sax, John Daversa-EWI, Brian Lynch-trumpet … it’s a Zoho release, ZOHO ZM 201902 (though I couldn’t find it in their CATALOG yet – probably because it’s not “official” until April, 2019).
The opener, “3.5X2“, sets the tone for the album, with marvelous jazz energy, just shimmering with life… superb melody line on Roddy’s guitar & perfect pacing from all the other players… DOWN & PHONK-ee, folks!
Roxana Amed performs richly lush vocals on “Drumme Negrita“, a traditional Cuban lullaby, and you’ll find yourself swaying ’round the room in a dance of joyful abandon as she shines her spirit on you.
Tim composed “Lellarap” as part of a class he took from John Daversa, and it’s a stunning tune that will stick in your head for a long, long time… this would have been a very nice tune for a YouTube demo/trailer… maybe on the next album, eh?
The 7:03 title track, “Little Havana“, was easy to choose as my personal favorite of the seven great songs offered up for your jazz enjoyment… though it starts off in a mellow mood, when Brian’s trumpet kicks in at the 1:53 mark, it begins to soar with the love of life & the living of it; in fact, that’s what makes this group’s music so enjoyable – they convey a real sense of JOY with their playing. I predict that you’ll be hearing this tune in major rotation on jazz stations across the globe!
I give Senor Groove a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED rating, with an “EQ” (energy quotient) rating of 4.98. Get more information here. Rotcod Zzaj
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