siLLy puPPy Ever since defecting from his native Cuba in 1968 due to the musical constraints placed upon him, PAQUITO D’RIVERA has been dazzling the world with his unique clarinet and saxophone playing thus winning all kinds of awards including a dozen Grammy’s and has taken the Latin jazz world by storm. It wasn’t until i was exposed to a Chesky Records Jazz sampler that i was personally introduced to his talents. The effervescent and upbeat swinging Cuban grooves of the track TICO TICO that was from the album of the same name blew all the other tracks on the sampler away and i was an instant fan which inevitably led me to find the album from which the track was lifted. TICO TICO was D’RIVERA’s debut release for Chesky Records and would launch his career into the ears of a Latin music starved public eager to consume the tropical musical fruits of the warm Caribbean isle separated from most of the world since the revolution of 1959.

Lo and behold, the album TICO TICO (the word ‘tico’ in Spanish refers to a Costa Rican) came into my hands when i was finding a new appreciation for pure Latin jazz outside the parameters of the rock fusion efforts of Santana and others. While i was expecting an album of similar upbeat and jovial exuberance that is heard on the title track, i was pretty much treated to a much more diverse array of Latin jazz gems that ran the gamut of Spanish classical guitar, Afro-Latin swing, salsa, funk and hard bop all interspersed with Western classical touches of sophistication. Right from the get go on the beginning track “Danza Caracteristica” (Typical Dance) we are blown away by a classical guitar workout that would make Segovia proud followed by a magical cauldron of a hard bop drive, New Orleans style clarinet gymnastics and Latin jazz sprightliness intermingled with creative and ear-pleasing melodies.

On board is a team of 10 musicians trading off their retrospective contributions on various tracks lending a totally diverse feel to the album as the caffeinated energy-fueled workouts cede to more contemplative and subdued ballads as heard on tracks like “Añorado Encuentro” (Yearned-for Meeting” with sultry sax solos accompanying bebopping bass lines, Latin percussion and the tinkling keys of the piano. D’RIVERA’s virtuosity on both the clarinet and tenor sax guarantees a richness devoid of many a Latin jazz album that more often than not fall into the one-dimensional zones of traditional Cuban sons, rumbas, mambos or boleros. While upon first listening to this overlap of styles and genres, it completely threw me off as i was not expecting the seamless fusionist approach of integrating Western classical with American jazz and Latin traditionals and i was in the end humbled by the fact that it works so well together, a true cocktail of conquest that triumphantly declares independence from any of the individual genres upon which this type of music could be pigeon-holed into the ranks of.

As the listener soaks in the tropical delights dished out by guitarists Fareed Haque and Romero Lubambo effortlessly weaving their textured timbres into the wind virtuosity of D’RIVERO and piano sensations of Danilo Perez, which create a musical tension, it is gracefully kept in balance by a steadfast percussive and rhythmic drive. Bassist David Fink in cahoots with the drumming skills of Mark Waller and Portinho tame the wilder aspects of the music which sometimes feel like horses chomping at the bit to run around the track leaving the rest of the band in the dust. As the music can prove a little disorienting upon first listen as the musicians somehow wend and wind their respective parts into a greater whole that places firm emphasis on an overall melodic arc that is composed of stunning bits and pieces of musical maestrohood, they redeem themselves by keeping it all together in total harmony like a flock of birds flying together in perfect unison. As many pleasantries can be gleaned from TICO TICO, it still seems a tad bloated as a whole and could have used a bit of trimming in the editing department as the tracks near the end offer hints of redundancy that may have been better nixed in the editing room. Nitpicking aside, TICO TICO remains an outstanding example of Latin jazz all gussied up with all kinds of musical jewels awaiting a night on the town for a rip roaring musical fête du jour that leaves the listener intoxicated and wanting more. Good stuff.