SNOWBOY — Mambo Rage (review)

Album · 1998 · Afro-Cuban Jazz

4/5 · 2011-03-22
Matt

Snowboy who's real name is Mark Cotgrove is actually from the U.K. which is a bit of a distance from the Carribean and one usually does not associate this music style with London but Snowboy started out originally as D.J. Mad Marx and after flipping all those records he realised it was Afro Cuban rythmns that were his penchant so in 1982 bought his first set of congas and since has become one of the leading Latin Jazz and Dance Crossover artists around. Snowboy likes things to be moving along with his style in Latin jazz and one thing that is what this album "Mambo Rage" does with its driving percussion and fast rythmns on this primarily instrumental bonanza of Cuban Jazz which is played for a young modern audience but also attracting the interest of everybody else in the Latin scene because Snowboy does it his way with Fender Rhodes or Hammond organ giving his rythmns a different modern sound with an underlying groove that Hammond or Fender can only provide. Nothing too electric though about this seventh album that Snowboy has released on his first one for Ubiquity Label being on their off-shot Cu-Bop label, apart from the keyboards and bass the rest is straight Latin with Snowboy whacking congas. bongos on one track and even udu. David Giovanni who has worked with Paul McCartney to Cubanismo is doing drums, timbales and vocals with Dave Pattman who also has an even better list has worked with Orlando Cachaito Lopez, Alfredo De La Fe and Paul McCartney, is doing bongos,cowbell,quinto,guiro and the ever important clave' which is the basic rythmn in every Cuban tune whether the clave is used or not and is the bedrock for Afro Cuban drumming. Nico Gomez is playing bass who also is a member of another latin band Tumbaito and he has played with a few over time as well, from Marc Antony to Shania Twain ( why not ). The man on fender rhodes and hammond organ is Neil Angilley with a list every bit as impressive as the previous musicians with also the entire band having a who's who of associates with Paul Taylor laying down some great hard blowing trombone throughout the album. The entire brass section blow with that approach as Gary Plumley on tenor saxophone and Paul Jayasinha on trumpet play just as fast and hard as Paul. Alex Wilson appears for only one tune "The New Avengers" and hammond and fender rhodes is his contribution. No D.J. material just Jazz is the contents on this little runaway train.

Mambo is the major theme throughout as the first tune is "Mambo For Max" with percussion, fender, horns in that order coming in with trumpet by Paul Jayasinha doing the first blazing solo with typical high latin pitch, Neil Angliley playing hammond on his turn but the band are just driving it all along and when they kick in it takes it all to a great height. Snowboy plays congas with beautiful clarity with every beat having a distinct sound as you will hear when he solo's after Gary Plumley's alto on the next composition "Sesenta Y Uno" with another terrific job from Paul on trumpet when he goes last. "Half Step" is Nico Gomez playing beautiful bass with the tune having a theme which is returned to throughout with more hammond, beautifully played tenor sax from Gary Plumley and Paul Taylor plays trombone. 'Tierra Va Temblar is the only tune with vocal and the trumpet is the major support. The title is next "Mambo Rage" with the title letting you know what fashion and tempo the composition will be with trumpet blazing all over the drive from the rythmn section, with fender included but trombone rules and it is played with that blasting Latin style which is always Paul Taylor's approach with his solo's followed by another ripper from Paul Jayasinha on trumpet. The beat just keeps coming for the remainder of the album with swirls of fender or hammond, percussion being played in one poly-rythmic style and that is fast as you can hit them but the timing is always spot on and solo's that are frenzied at times in this Latin Jazz cracker. The last "Cloudburst" with a stage orchestra introduction or point used for comedy by an orchestra is just five bars and is laced throughout but perhaps just a little over done for me but the solos are all crackers of course but the theme although humorous injected into the composition is overdone towards the end.

If you like your Latin Jazz blazing away as I myself do, this one is for you. Snowboy does have his own approach and usually I often think with a particular genre of music it should be done by the culture that designed it but Snowboy has crossed that boundary and today has put his own stamp on Latin Jazz with some wonderful Afro Cuban beats from England.