Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Cortadito , by The Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective , and it's lively. Opening with Orchard Downs and extremely rhythmic track, Victor Garcia on trumpet, Brian Stark on tenor sax and Ben Carrasquillo o trombone lays down the melody with excellent rhythm by Michael Rodriguez on bongos and bell, Victor Gonzalez on timbales, Andrey Goncalvez on bass, Jose Guzman on guitar and Jose Natal on barril . Hot opener. A Sunday Kind Of Day features a cha cha rhythm and soft trumpet/sax/trombone mix over Javier Quintana on congas. Really nice trumpet improv by Garcia gives the track a nice edge and Guzman's guitar chops add nicely to the feel. Bembe style , Witches Dance really moves with excellent percussion by  Quintana, Gonzalez, Rodriguez,  and Natal. Brassy lead by Garcia and a rolling bass line by Goncalvez really sets this track off. Wrapping the release is Brian Stark's El Volcan   with shifting time sig...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Fiesta At Caroga , from The Afro - Caribbean Jazz Collective and it's quite cool. Opening with Descarga , Brian Stark on sax, Ben Weisiger on trombone, Eric Devey on trumpet and Jose Guzman on guitar really lay it all out there over a beautiful weave of percussion supplied by Stephen Busath, Sebastian Nassar, and Brian Shank. Ian Stewart sets a hard bass line giving the track a super anchor and his soloing is tight. Excellent opener. Opening with a complex rhythm on El Canaveral , Busath, Nassar and Shank really dig in deep. Stark solos first on sax with rich deep tones, underscored by the bass lines of Stewart and light rhythm by Guzman. Warm blending by Devey, and Weisiger enrich the overall sound and a fluid guitar solo by Guzman really is nicely presented. Wrapping the release is Baile Bailekita with a great rhythm and brass infused melody. Stark on sax rips a few really nice melodic solos, really fueling the ex...