Search - Machito & His Salsa Big Band :: Live at the North Sea Jazz Festival

Salsa and jazz at their very best

Alex Main | Paris, France | 06/23/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"the big surprise for me is to be the first to write a review for this timeless concert recording as everyone that I've had listen to it runs to the record store to order it themselves. Most Machito albums I've listened to are very tame, best described as easy, cocktail lounge music. This album, though, is in an entirely different category, with long, intense tracks that feature remarkably inovative sax and trumpet solos , backed by a tireless team of percussionists that include Machito, of course. The audience adds extra spice: it's completely wild with excitement and gleefully responsive to each culminating moment in the concert. In short, I've listened to a lot of salsa and even more jazz and I've got to rate this among the best of both categories, although, in the case of this album at least, the two categories merge perfectly."