July 17 - 24, 1997
[Music Reviews]
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*** Roland Vazquez

FURTHER DANCE

(RV)

With his legendary West Coast big band, the Urban Ensemble, drummer Roland Vazquez has mixed Latin, jazz, and funk rhythms. But his Latin-tinged New York-based quintet, featuring saxophonist Walt Weiskopf and pianist Mark Soskin, hews closer to the jazz end of the spectrum. Vazquez isn't out to drub listeners over the head with forced excitement. He sets many of the tunes at a comfortable medium tempo and lets the band develop them organically. His compositions give the group just enough to keep them on their toes, mixing a variety of Afro-Cuban beats, bossa nova, Latin funk, and swing in a shifting rhythmic mosaic.

On the mid-tempo "Sevilla," Soskin (for many years Sonny Rollins's regular pianist) unfurls long lines that pulse with the Latin clave. Weiskopf plays with a plangent Coltrane-derived tone but builds solos along entirely personal lines. Unfazed by the rhythmic quicksand of "Las Mediosas" and "Path of Change," he crafts nicely paced statements that build to scorching climaxes. Bassist Anthony Jackson and percussionist Ricardo Candelaria keep the rhythm complex yet utterly clear and propulsive. This is a quintet that stays true to the Afro-Caribbean roots of the Latin elements while delivering thoughtful, exciting jazz solos -- a potent combination.

-- Ed Hazell

(The Roland Vazquez Quintet performs at Scullers tonight, July 17, at 8 and 10 p.m.; call 562-4111.)


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