Pucho and His Latin Soul Brothers - Groovin' High (1997)

If anyone has successfully bridged the gap between Latin jazz and soul-jazz, it's Pucho, whose very accessible blend of hard bop, R&B and Afro-Cuban music took its share of knocks from jazz critics but was consistently swinging and could always liven up a party. The New York percussionist was 59 when Groovin' High came out on the small Cannonball label in 1997, but except for some experiments with rap, the CD isn't much different from his Prestige dates of the 1960s and early 1970s.

From the funky, dancable grooves of "On the Strip," "Jiggy" and the James Brown-influenced "Sons of Abraham" to a caressing, Cal Tjader-ish version of Henry Mancini's "Slow Hot Wind" (which is played as a bolero or Latin-style ballad), much of Groovin' High sounds like it could have been recorded 25 or 30 years earlier. But you know this isn't a 1960s recording when Pucho and a late 1990s edition of his band, the Latin Soul Brothers, are joined by Latino rapper BaBee Power on the insanely catchy "I Like It Like That." Both hip-hop's hardcore and jazz purists tended to be wary of jazz-rap experiments, but the tune demonstrates that jazz, rap and salsa can be a very natural and organic combination. Groovin' High is a disc that longtime Pucho supporters shouldn't overlook.


Tracks:

01 - Groovin' High
02 - On The Strip
03 - Slow Hot Wind
04 - I Like It Like That
05 - Sons Of Abraham
06 - Yaina
07 - Jiggy
08 - If I Ever Would Leave You
09 - Tumbao A Peruchin 5
10 - Struggle

Personnel:

Henry "Pucho" Brown - leader, timbales, cowbell
Steve Berrios - cowbell, güiro
Ernesto "Ernie" Colon - drums, congas, bongós, bells
Jon Hart - Fender bass
John "Mad Hatter" Spruill - piano, B3 organ
Willie "Yam" Bivens - vibes
Marvin Horne - guitar, wah-wah guitar
Rick "Bongo" James - congas, bongós, djembe, bells
Alvin Pazant - trumpet
Ed Pazant - flute, alto & tenor sax
Pamela Fleming - trumpet, muted trumpet, flugelhorn
Lawrence Killian - congas, perro
DJ Daze - scratches
MC BaBee Power - rap