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
"Renewal"
(incorporating several guest
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
"Hi-Fly."
Kolker
's inventive take of
Thelonious Monk
"'Round About Midnight"
may be the most innovative since
George Russell
's famous recording of
"'Round Midnight"
on the
Riverside
release
Ezz-Thetics
'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
percussion fits right in with the loping gait of the donkeys in
"Sunset."
switches to tenor sax for a rather brisk rendition of
"On the Trail."
Transforming
Peggy Lee
's hit
"Fever"
into a
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
's best all-around recordings. ~ Ken Dryden