Customer Reviews

Bolero Nights

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Strange, strange strange. Well, the music is enjoyable, occasionally better than enjoyable, and played by pros.

Not that you'd ever know who they are. In over fifty years of buying music, this is the first AND ONLY jazz LP/CD/cassette or 8 track (ok - I never did 8 tracks)that has NO PERSONNEL listed. Took a little digging - and no help from the label (or Amazon) - to discover that the "Brian Lynch Afro Cuban Jazz Orchestra" consists of

Brian Lynch!! (trumpet) - whose work in a Latin context I just love; that's why I bought this
Phil Woods and Ivan Renta (alto saxes)
Alan Hoffman (tenor sax)
Marshall Gilkes (trombone)
Ron Blake (baritone sax)
Zaccai Curtis (piano)
Boris Kozlov (bass)
Marvin Diz (drums)
and Little Johnny Rivero (congas and percussion)

Then there's the cover art, a shadowy color photo of of some bare-armed babe half reclining on a couch with some fuzzy ironwork and some leaves in the background suggesting - what? The Band's name and the album title above her are followed by the words "for Billie Holiday" maybe to suggest some thematic link in the music? Not really. While a few tunes here were in Billie's repertoire, I doubt she ever got to sing "Fire Waltz" or Mingus' "Celia."

Inside, one would hope for clarification, even though actual liner notes have become virtually extinct. No such luck, just the declaration that this label "GIVES NEW LIFE TO JAZZ" AND "...is JAZZ" plus some thumbnails of other CD covers, so small, of course, that one can rarely read the type which says who the album is by or what it's called.

So, is the music any good? Yeah, if sometimes pretty tepid and moody. But the packaging is clearly a case what what happens when the art designers are running the asylum, er - label.

Jazzy, with Cuban vibes, just right for parties when you've invited all the right people. The effect is very elegant!

QUE LA NO MENCION DE LOS MUSICOS PARTICIPANTES SEAN UN ERROR IMPERDONABLE?...... MUY CIERTO. LA MUSICA ...AHHHHH!!!!! ARREGLOS E INTERPRETACION IMPERDONABLEMENTE,,,,,,,,,EXCELENTES,........BUENA MUSICA.

America's top jazz trumpeter provides all of us with another work of sheer beauty. This sublime reworking of Bille Holiday songs is magical and masterly. Highly recommended for fans of jazz, Latin music, and any type of beautiful music played with intelligence by talented musicians.

This is a very easy listening CD. Nice beat and sounds. My nephew, Alex Hoffman, is the tenor sax player.