Ray Armando - Mallet Hands (2000)

Ray Armando, long a fixture in the Los Angeles area, had a relatively rare chance to record as a leader on this disc. The style of music is very much 1950s/'60s Afro-Cuban jazz, with tenor saxophonist Benn Clatworthy (whose main inspiration is John Coltrane) generally being the main soloist. Along with some originals, such songs as Ron Carter's "Eighty One," a slower-than-usual "Take the 'A' Train," and Gene Ammons' swinging "In Sid's Thing" are successfully Latin-ized. The sextets (with Theo Saunders or Jorge Valentin Gaffento on piano) are excellent, featuring Armando and either Robertito Melendez or Papo Rodriguez on percussion. This is very easy music to enjoy, both by jazz listeners and Latin dancers.