[contextly_auto_sidebar id=”w5Oa9DdFfq6mImsA6vY03PpP0M3gkPu1″]
Art Jackson: Underground Masterpiece
(Independent)
The CD is in general release, and its title claim of masterpiece status could be
questioned. Nonetheless, it is impressive music from contemporary Latin bands arranged and led by Jackson. From track to track, the groups range in size from a percussion-voice trio to a nine-piece ensemble. The musicians include some of the west coast’s most able Latin and studio musicians, among them drummer Alex Acuña, pianist John Beasley, tenor saxophonist Justo Almario and trumpeters Sal Cracchiolo and Bill Ortiz. The Brazilian singer Kátia Moraes makes just one appearance, but she comes close to stealing the show with the intensity of her performance in João Bosco and Aldir Blanc’s modern classic “Incompatibilidade.†Trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos stands out in a kaleidoscopic arrangement of “Love For Sale that borrows from Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez.†Another highlight: Horace Silver’s “Cape Verdean Blues.”