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Latin jazz musician Eddie Palmieri has been quoted
as saying, "I'm a frustrated percussionist, so I take it out
on the piano." On his latest release, he does just that.
Palmieri is not a Latin jazz purist. On past records, he
has fused Latin and non-Latin music forms. The only track
on which this is done here is "Gigue (Bach Goes Bata),” where
he combines European classical and Latin jazz music.
And he pulls it off beautifully. It starts out as a classical
piece and then suddenly changes over into a bata drum
hard-driving session. This is the highlight on Ritmo
Caliente. Palmieri is known for his complex arrangements
and the tune is the only one in that category.
The rest of the disc is straight-up salsa characterized
by punchy horn charts and hot, percussive grooves. Palmieri's piano playing often
gets lost in all the music
swirling around him. But when he does take solos, his
playing is unpredictable and quite stimulating. This a
party hearty record, great for dancing on a Saturday night.
If you like Poncho Sanchez, add this one to your collection.
Visit Concord on the web:
www.concordrecords.com
This review first appeared in All About Jazz:Los
Angeles
~ Ollie Bivens
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Track Listing: La Voz del Caribe/ Granpa Semi-Tone
Blues/ Billie/ Lazar Y Su Microfono/ Ritmo Caliente II/
Tema Para Renee/ Leapfrog To Harlem/ Gigue (Bach
Goes Bata)/ Dime/ Sujetate La Lengua/ Lo Que Triago Es
Sabroso
Personnel: Eddie Palmieri- piano; Brian Lynch, John
Walsh- trumpet; Conrad Herwig, Renaldo Jorge, Chris
Washburne, Doug Beavers- trombone; Herman Oliveravocals;
Joe Santiago- bass; Eddie Zervigon, Karen Joseph- flute; John Rodriguez- bongos; Jose Claussell-
timbales;
Robert Ameen- drums
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