Don Braden, Dave Liebman & Dan Moretti - Latin Genesis (2013)

Latin Genesis commemorates veteran saxophonist Dave Liebman's first recording as a young man with Elvin Jones. This event took place in 1971 and resulted in an album called, what else, Genesis. Like the 1971 release, there are three saxophonists present. Joining with Liebman is another expert saxophonist Don Braden and relative newcomer Dan Moretti plus a high-powered rhythm section, minus piano (the same as in 1971). Liebman and friends reconstruct the 1971 session, adding a Latin coloring. Some of the tunes on the original play list are revisited here, including "Three Card Molly", "P P Phoenix", "For all the Other Times", and "Cecilia Is Love" all garbed with a new set of clothes. Except for "Have You Met Miss Jones" and "Calling Miss Khadija", the rest of the play list are originals by the participants on this set. The outcome is creative modern jazz resting on a Latin rhythm foundation fashioned by the driving, stinging drums of Mark Walker and the percussion of Pernell Saturnino and Jorge Najaro letting loose with shots that ricochet off the head to head friendly competition among the three reed players. More than anything else, this session simply radiates a high level of energy as they create improvisational swathes, in ensemble or as soloist, through each tune on the play list.

Every tune becomes a testing ground for the three major protagonists as they express all manner of harmonic ideas. Even on a relatively calm, and relatively is the operative word, "For all the Other Times", there is tension right from the first few measures and it builds in intensity as each of the reedmen take a turn at this Gene Perla creation. Each of the other tracks offers a similar escapade into creative modern jazz. For those who like their jazz hot, heavy and powerful spiced with liberal doses of Latin rhythms, this album is a must. (DAVE NATHAN, AAJ)