Masacote
Fantagious
CD
(Masacote Records 002),
Released 2008;
Editor's Pick:
This is a really interesting Latin jazz album. Different to say the least. Boston based pianist and man of many talents Joel "Masacote" Massicot brings a lot of intriguing influences and disparate sounds to this production. There is an independent spirit at work here, a sense of playfulness and adventurousness lacking from a lot of other recordings that get lumped into this kind of R&B-tinged “contemporary Latin jazz” category. The Ritmo Masacote band are a fabulous bunch of players, and on this date their talent really shows. Massicot’s piano playing is fluid and inventive, easily switching from intense Latin figures to gentle, almost classical ruminations. The fact that Fantagious features Pablo "Chino" Nuñez on timbales and bongo, Luisito Quintero on congas, and trumpet player Richie Viruet gives it salsa cred and a firm Afro-Cuban underpinning; but it is bassist/vocalist Panagiotis Andreou who is the real wild card here, and bless Masacote for allowing Andreou to bring a new sensibility to the proceedings. As a leader, it is Masacote’s fearless will to create something unique and enjoyable that is most inspiring, and I think the musicians respond to that here quite well. Andreou really shines on a trio of Middle-Eastern and Greek tinged tracks that serve to center the album, and I particularly enjoyed "Clowning Around," which, contrary to its oddly light-hearted title, is actually quite seriously funky and moving, combining the afore mentioned Middle-Eastern melodies with slinky Mediterranean vocals, Afro-Cuban sentido, and nasty funk elements in the bass and drumming – it’s a combination that makes sense, given the fact that Spain was really a part of North Africa for 700 years! Viruet really lights one up with a burning trumpet solo during the montuno. Other tracks like "Fantasia" and "Machete Son" cook like nobody’s business, plus versions of standards like Herbie Hancock’s "Maiden Voyage" and Brubeck’s "Take Five" stand on their own as reinventions that are fully satisfying. On the whole, at 72:50, this rather lengthy recording keeps you entertained throughout. Massicot also is involved in dance theater, and I can certainly imagine some rather hot moves being executed to this fusion soundtrack fantasy. Well done, and a worthy follow-up to the debut disk, Masacote.
Highly Recommended. (Pablo Yglesias, 2008-06-23)
Song titles include:
Maiden Voyage 5:10
Fusion 7:24
Take Five 6:28
11 Ways 9:40
Endoskopisi 3:13
Clowning Around 6:12
Rumba Walk 7:22
Fantasia 5:25
Fantagious Intro 2:16
Fantagious 7:47
Melancholy Intro 1:15
Melancholy 4:44
Machete Son 5:26
Musicians include:
Joel "Masacote" Massicot Piano
Panagiotis Andreou Bass and vocals
Michel Gonzalez Acoustic guitar
Pablo "Chino" Nunez Timbales, bongos, minor perc.
Tim Mayor Alto and tenor sax
Richie Viruet Trumpet
Luisito Quintero Congas
Pablo Bencid Drums
Category: Latin Jazz
=> Latin Jazz
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