Conga player
Ray Barretto's
Trancedance is hardly a typical
Latin affair, as the music is extremely wide-ranging, including 20th century
classical works,
classic jazz works from several decades, a
pop hit, and originals by the leader. His core band consists of trumpeter
John Bailey, pianist
John Di Martino, saxophonist
Adam Kolker, bassist
Gregg August, and drummer
Vince Cherico.
Di Martino's intricate scoring of
Monty Alexander's
"Renewal" (incorporating several guest
Latin percussionists plus
James Moody's magical flute) is the perfect opener, followed by a similar lineup tackling the pianist's brisk arrangement of
Randy Weston's
"Hi-Fly." Kolker's inventive take of
Thelonious Monk's
"'Round About Midnight" may be the most innovative since
George Russell's famous recording of
"'Round Midnight" on the
Riverside release
Ezz-Thetics.
Kolker's intriguing approach to two segments of
The Grand Canyon Suite (
"Sunset" and
"On the Trail") find him interweaving his soprano sax with
Moody's flute, while the
Latin percussion fits right in with the loping gait of the donkeys in
"Sunset." Kolker switches to tenor sax for a rather brisk rendition of
"On the Trail." Transforming
Peggy Lee's hit
"Fever" into a
Latin setting makes it even more sensuous, particularly with his come-hither soprano sax. All of
Barretto's originals also merit praise, especially his tribute to the late conga player
Tito Puente, who helped put the instrument on the map in
jazz. This is easily one of
Ray Barretto's best all-around recordings. ~ Ken Dryden
