Elio Villafranca, The Jass Syncopators – Caribbean Tinge: Live from Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola (2014) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Elio Villafranca, The Jass Syncopators – Caribbean Tinge: Live from Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola (2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:06:58 minutes | 1,28 GB | Genre: Latin Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Motema Music, LLC

This recording finds Elio Villafranca leading an outstanding group of jazz musicians and with seamless transitions from latin jazz to straight ahead jazz.

Last Train to Paris is likely the most mellow of the tunes. Mambo Vivo is my favorite with a sensational piano solo from Villafranca and blazing solos from Vincent Herring and Terrell Stafford; a must for Perez Prado fans.

Flower by the Dry River provides the most inspired solo by Villafranca and is one of the more complex tunes. The Source in Between is Another interesting and complex tune starting with Villafranca’s piano solo, and also Willie Jones III on a super drums solo.

Expert musicians will likely appreciate and understand the rich music in this CD, and decipher the rhythms that are being fused. For the rest of us, a detailed description of the tunes was written by Villafranca. This description (“liner notes”) is helpful to understand the significant amount of research and preparation behind this album. The recording is based on a well planned fusion of Afro-Caribbean and jazz. Villafranca brings his native Cuban rhythms and also Puerto Rico’s bomba and makes a strong effort to include the entire Caribbean in this recording.

Overall a thorough fusion, a great step beyond the latin jazz category of recordings from yesteryears. This movement to seamless-exciting fusions appears to be a new initiative from this latest generation of jazz musicians.

Tracklist:

1. Elio Villafranca – Intro (Live) (00:17)
2. Elio Villafranca – Sunday Stomp at Congo Square (Live) (04:54)
3. Elio Villafranca – Last Train to Paris (Live) (08:25)
4. Elio Villafranca – Caribbean Tinge (Live) (05:31)
5. Elio Villafranca – Flower by the Dry River (Live) (12:33)
6. Elio Villafranca – Corfradias (Live) (09:40)
7. Elio Villafranca – Mambo Vivo (Live) (08:30)
8. Elio Villafranca – Two to Tango (Live) (07:05)
9. Elio Villafranca – The Source in Between (Live) (09:59)

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