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The
Mott Haven Latin Jazz Connection
The festivities kicked off with a welcome by salsa
icon, Willie Colon, who spoke about growing up in the South Bronx and the
tremendous impact it had on his life personally and professionally. Today,
Colon is a nationally recognized figure in the political arena, but for those
who grew up listening to his early recordings, such as “Lo Mato”, and “Asalto
Navideno”, he will always be remembered as El Malote (the bad boy) of salsa.
I had the pleasure of attending the concerts performed on November 9th and the
11th.
As I
listened to the sweet sounds of the Ray Vega Latin Jazz Ensemble, I recalled
the numerous times I have seen him perform as a sideman with Mongo Santamaria,
Tito Puente, Ray Barretto and others. Today, Vega is a prolific band leader
in his own right, and living proof that a skinny kid from the Bronx with a big
Afro (as he put it), can be a world-class trumpet player and hang with the
best of them. The Ensemble began their set with New Arrival (penned by the
late Hilton Ruiz) and followed it up with John Coltrane’s Africa Brass and
Freddie Hubbard’s Hub-Tones. Between numbers, Vega, shared some humorous
anecdotes about growing up in the South Bronx, which had the audience rolling
in the aisles. The grand finale was a descarga (jam) titled, Tribute to the
Masters, which had the members of the audience dancing in their seats.
November 11 - Charlie Sepulveda & Eddie
Palmieri
What
can I say about Eddie Palmieri that has not been said before? The eight-time
Grammy award winner continues to thrill audiences and stay on the cutting
edge. Moreover, Palmieri (now an elder statesman) makes it a point to surround
himself with the finest young musicians. Early in the performance, Palmieri
cited travel problems and seemed the worst for wear, but as the evening wore
on and the music gained momentum, he rose to the occasion. The Octet began
their set with Thelonious Monk’s, ‘In Walked Bud’ then followed it up with a
number of original compositions that bore the Palmieri stamp (Slow Visor,
Don’t Stop the Train and Bolero Dos). As is generally his custom, Palmieri
closed the set with ‘Camagueyanos y Habaneros’, a rousing descaraga (jam) that
left the audience asking for more. Or as Nuyoricans have been known to say,
Otra!
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