Search - Rudy Calzado & Cubarama :: Tribute to Mario Bauza

Mario Bauza lives on!

Erik Werkman | Utrecht, Netherlands | 05/10/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What a great discovery! With Mario Bauza's last album, 944 Columbus (see my review), a great goodbye album, I thought that the big sounding very danceable kind of afro cuban big band music was all over. But this albums proves my fear wrong, fortunately. From the first sounds it is clear that this is the real thing! Which is not surprising, as Rudy Calzado sang on Mario Bauza's last great albums on the Messidor label and was a close friend as well. Here he brings his vocals to just three of these ten gems. Cubarama is the name of this afro-cuban orchestra, which is made up to a great extent of those who were part of Mario Bauza's group of musicians. The expert arrangements are mainly coming from reedman Paquito D'Rivera and trumpeter Michael Philip Mossman, who take some breathtaking solos on this album as well. The result is an album that just swings like mad and is nothing less than a string of great performances! What makes it all the more exciting is the perfect recording quality, making the music sound big and crystal clear, with everybody getting the detail they deserve. Just two minor criticisms: the ten songs last just a little over 45 minutes and the booklet does not contain info on when these recordings took place (somewhere in the year 2000 seems most likely). Nonetheless, a must-have for Bauza fans and for afro-cuban and latin jazz big band lovers! Get it before it is permanently deleted from the catalogue!"

Great all around

Pink Noodle | Duncanville, TX USA | 09/06/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Great songs, great arrangements, great solos, great recording quality. Since I'm a big fan of T. Monk, I especially liked the Bolero arrangement of my favorite song he composed."