Latin Jazz Music

Com siempre el maestro Salinas nos deleita con una buena combinacion de su musica

Salinas mixes everything and makes a coctail hard to resist. He goes form Argentinian folk to acid jazz and does beautifuly.A must in latin jazz. Exelent.

Most of the selections on this CD were issued originally on a Palo Alto LP called JAZZ PARTY, recorded in 1981. It was the first time Terry Gibbs and Buddy DeFranco teamed up together in what turned out to be a long-running and successful partnership. Both men relish up-tempo material, love to turn their engines on and watch the notes race out of their axes. (Sometimes Buddy DeFranco reminds me of the mid-50's "sheets of sound" John Coltrane.) Both men are proficient players with an endless stream of ideas at their finger tips. Sometimes, however, this can produce a sameness about each track, which occurs here perhaps more than became usual in later CDs. Best on the disc is BLUES FOR BRODY, an up-tempo 12-bar blues that changes key by half a step up with each chorus. Not only is it a great challenge that all the men easily meet, but it's different and adds variety. Also very good is Terry's composition SAMBA WAZZOO, also up-tempo, but a tune with a very attractive theme and interesting solo work. Gibbs is a fine writer, and all his tunes shine (THE AUSTIN MOOD is another one). Frank Collett is on piano, Andy Simpkins, bass, and Jimmie Smith, drums and all three offer excellent support. This is not a CD to put on when you feel like sitting back and relaxing - it's way too exuberant for that. But if you're in the mood for some fiery, swinging jazz, this is the ticket.

Most of the selections on this CD were issued originally on a Palo Alto LP called JAZZ PARTY, recorded in 1981. It was the first time Terry Gibbs and Buddy DeFranco teamed up together in what turned out to be a long-running and successful partnership. Both men relish up-tempo material, love to turn their engines on and watch the notes race out of their axes. (Sometimes Buddy DeFranco reminds me of the mid-50's "sheets of sound" John Coltrane.) Both men are proficient players with an endless stream of ideas at their finger tips. Sometimes, however, this can produce a sameness about each track, which occurs here perhaps more than became usual in later CDs. Best on the disc is BLUES FOR BRODY, an up-tempo 12-bar blues that changes key by half a step up with each chorus. Not only is it a great challenge that all the men easily meet, but it's different and adds variety. Also very good is Terry's composition SAMBA WAZZOO, also up-tempo, but a tune with a very attractive theme and interesting solo work. Gibbs is a fine writer, and all his tunes shine (THE AUSTIN MOOD is another one). Frank Collett is on piano, Andy Simpkins, bass, and Jimmie Smith, drums and all three offer excellent support. This is not a CD to put on when you feel like sitting back and relaxing - it's way too exuberant for that. But if you're in the mood for some fiery, swinging jazz, this is the ticket.

LAGQ's CD "Guitar Heroes" begins with their take on Ralph Towner's classic Icarus. This choice proves an apt one, for like this mythical Greek hero, LAGQ strives to accomplish something great and wonderful, but instead crashes to earth.

In fact, the CD begins with much promise, leading with the soaring cover of Icarus and the well-done homage to Blake and Bromberg "B&B." Then the McLaughlin and Hendrix tributes founder badly before the band achieves stability with a pair of unexciting but listenable tunes in honor of Pat Metheney and the Assad Duo (I always thought it was the other way around, Duo Assad).

A rather horrid homage to Steve Howe and a lackluster one for Django Reinhardt are countered by the brief but clever Duane York, a nice yoking together of slide and classical styles. The tip of the cap to Los Romeros is OK, but then the overlong, often irritating tributes to Michael Hedges and Frank Zappa do not add any luster to either of these late guitarists' legacies and set the CD on a terminal downward spiral.

The nice tribute to Chet Atkins that concludes this set is not enough to restore altitude and the whole effort essential crashes to earth.

No doubt the performers had a great time recording this CD for their grasp of technique and nuance proves solid. The problem is that the concept of "Guitar Heroes" fails to translate into much pleasure for average listeners like me.

It goes without saying the the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet is in fact the BEST performing guitar ensemble in the world right now. The quartet always impresses me with their variety, technique, musicianship, ensemble playing and innovation. The playing and material on this album reflects just that. The variety reflects many different styles: contemporary classical, rock, jazz, avant garde, new age, bluegrass, country and flamenco. The technique is spotless, the musicianship is incredibly fine tuned the group plays together perfectly and the selections are fresh, new and very interesting. It's a true treat to hear nylon stringed classical guitars playing tribute to their greats and the greats of their electric counterparts.

To talk about highlight tracks on this album just wouldn't be fair. There are too many. The cover of Ralph Towner's "Icarus" is exciting in its use of special guitar techniques, its Brazillian flavor and Andrew Yorks amazing improvised solo. The bouncy tribute to Norman Blake and David Bromberg is fun and incredibly enerjetic. The hommages to McLaughlin and Hendrix are provocative, strange and haunting. Following those two abrasive, dissonant cuts is a beautiful transcription of Pat Metheny's Letter from Home and Sergio Assad's very cool composition "Uarekena." The disc also features a flamenco reworking of Yes's "Mood for a Day," a tribute to gypsy great Django Reinhard, a Romeros quartet piece bubbling with Spanish flair, the extended technique ridden Michael Hedges tribute, an avant garde nod to Frank Zappa and a bouncy country influenced salute to Chet Atkins. Every cut is strong and is oozing with LAGQ perfection and nuance.

The other cool thing about this album is that it is mixed in stereo. The players are mixed across the speakers so that the arrangements can be aurally analyzed much easier. This album is a must have for any fan of the guitar... not just classical players.

This was the Grammy award winner in classical crossover for 2005. It is great if you appreciate the innovators in 20th century guitar music. Listen to The "Assad Duo" and a rock remedition of a Michael Hedges tribute" Lament and Wake which stand out. Both these songs got great reviews as arrangements by the newspaper critics. Get the multi channel version if you have a a top notch audio system with the speakers to show off the enginneering. If you just want "pretty" background music this is not an album for you.

I can't think of any recent collection of music that I enjoyed more than this album by the LAGQ. "Guitar Heroes" is amazing right from the beginning and never ceases right through the last track. The performances are solid, always musical and often mesmerizing. The songs and arrangements are impeccable and thoughtful, never pandering or taking the easy route to illuminating a particular guitar hero. After listening to this album, you want to hear more of the LAGQ, and also more from their "heroes". For that alone, this offering is a tremendous success.

I'm a fan of Classical Guitar. I heard about this quartet and sought them out, buying "Guitar Heroes". I should have read the Amazon review more closely. If I had I would have earned these pieces are in a dissonant rock-style with little or no melodic form. A far cry from what I envisioned. I write this to warn other innocents who might be looking for melodic music in a classical style. I didn't read the review closely enough, but you should.

I'll agree with the previous reviewer that the audio quality of this video is only fair at best, but I, for one, treasure this dvd because it is the only one I know of that has Joe Farrell on it. Joe was one of the greatest all-around reed/woodwind players ever; he and Airto and Flora were on the first two Return To Forever albums with Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke, and Joe just shines on tenor sax on this dvd. He was amazing. He died not too long after this concert, so this may well be his last recorded performance. He is missed!

I have been a fan of Airto since the first Weather Report album. It has always been next to impossible to see a recorded performance of Airto and Flora. Besides this offering the only other video I have been aware of is a Laser Disk of another performance. I bought a copy of this performance twenty years ago on VHS and was less than satisfied then as I am now. In the day of digital re-mastering, there is nothing in more need of work than this. The sound quality is equal to a loud roar. Instead of being able to hear the subtle sounds and textures of the many percussive instruments, you get a blur of poorly recorded sound. Add to that the fact that the performance is over just as everyone starts to loosen up and kick a.. well you know what I mean. The production company couldn't even play the last song all the way through before credits, things just fade away and it's over. I am obviously not impressed by the quality of production from the VIEW Video Jazz series. On the plus side is a great capoeira performance by The Batucaje Dance Troupe. There is magic when things start to happen, Flora will give you goose bumps. I only wish they had filmed more of it. You also get to see one of Joe Farrell's last performances for what that is worth. As I stated, it really only deserves one star, but considering this is the only thing out there to see these folks do what they do I gave it two. Now if we could only get a video performance of the real MASTER, the person Airto got "EVERYTHING" from, Dom Um Romao.