MARIO BAUZA & HIS AFRO CUBAN JAZZ ORCHESTRA: TANGA

MARIO BAUZA
MARIO BAUZA é um dos nomes mais importantes da história do "cuban-afro-latin-jazz". Seu enorme talento - fartamente reconhecido e respeitado por quem é "do ramo" - não foi suficiente para torná-lo popular, como merecia. Mas, ao contrário do Brasil,
que joga no lixo da história seus grandes heróis, ("ex vi" Moacir Santos), MÁRIO BAUZA é venerado em sua terra natal - Cuba. O onipresente MB participou como compositor, arranjador ou músico, de GRANDE PARTE do que de melhor se gravou no gênero. É mais um "monstro sagrado" a ser incluído em nossa listagem dos "one of the best, ever".
(CB)
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MARIO BAUZÁ -
Mario Bauzá (April 28, 1911 in Havana, Cuba - July 11, 1993 in New York City) was one of the most influential figures in the development of Latin jazz or as he referred to it, Afro-Cuban ("Latin" Music, a term created in the 1960s to take Africa out of the music). Trained as a classical musician, he played oboe and clarinet in Havana. After emigrating to New York at age 19, he reputedly learned to play the trumpet in two weeks and earned a spot as a player in Chick Webb's orchestra. He also played on some recordings of Antonio Machín. But it was in Cab Calloway's band that Bauzá met fellow trumpet player Dizzy Gillespie. Gillespie and Bauzá worked together for several years. The fusion of Bauzá's Cuban musical heritage and Gillespie's advancements in bebop eventually culminated in the
development of cubop, one of the first forms of latin jazz. Bauzá's outstanding work has led many jazz historians to call him the "founding father of Latin jazz". Bauzá later worked with other notable artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Don Redman and Cab Calloway, and eventually worked as the musical director of the Afro-Cubans in 1941, ed by his brother-in-law Machito, a position he maintained until 1976. Maria Bauza led his own band in the 80s and early 90s. He passed away on July 11th, 1993, leaving a musical legacy which expanded for almost seven decades.

(*) It was April 27th, 1991, Mario and his orchestra was performing at New York's Synphony Space in celebration of his 80th birthday, when a man by the name of Götz Wörner of the famed record label Messidor Musik made his way backstage after the concert to Mario's dressing room. Mr. Wörner was so impressed with the performance
that he asked Mario Bauza, "I want to record this band." And the rest is history. The following year, Mario proceeded to record TANGÁ, first of three albums, named after his landmark composition written in 1943. This album would prove to be very successful allowing Bauza and his Afro-Cuban Jazz orchestra to tour Europe. After his second recording with Messidor titled "My Time Is Now" Mario would return to the studio for the last time in early 1993 to record another CD titled "944 Columbus."
(Excerpt from wikipedia and latinjazzclub.com - edited by CB).
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ALBUM COMMENTS:
Tanga encompasses all that's strong and rhythmic and powerful about Latin music; drives with a danceable furor one moment, then pulls back into a cool, steady groove the next. It's a superbly crafted, vivid big band recording, earthy, elegant and sophisticated.
(From album's release)
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MINHA OPINIÃO - você sabia que MÁRIO BAUZÁ é o autor de "AT THE MAMBO INN", grande sucesso de GEORGE BENSON ? Então, mesmo antes desta postagem você, certamente, já conhecia um dos poucos temas de Bauzá que extrapolou os limites do "afro-cuban-jazz" tornando-se mundialmente conhecido e fartamente regravado. As 5 primeiras faixas do álbum se destinam aos vários movimentos da "suíte" TANGA, composta por Bauzá em 1943. Todas as demais faixas são de autoria de Bauzá, que - provavelmente devido à idade avançada, limitou-se a reger a orquestra.
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MARIO BAUZA & HIS AFRO CUBAN JAZZ ORCHESTRA: TANGA
Original Release Date: June 4, 1992
Label: Messidor
Recorded at Clinton Recording Studios, New York in December 1991.

PERSONNEL:
Mario Bauza (conductor);
Rudy Calzado, Thelma Ithier, Jose Joaquin, Romulus Murrell, Nat Jones (vocals);
Rolando Briceno, Eddie Alex (alto saxophone);
Enrique Fernandez (tenor saxophone, flute);
Doris Rivera, Jerome Richardson (tenor saxophones);
Pablo Calogero (baritone saxophone);
Victor Paz, Ross Konikoff, Stanton Davis, Larry Lunetta (trumpets);
Conrad Herwig, Gerry Chamberlain, Bruce Eidem, Douglas Perviance (trombones);
Nathan Durham (bass trombone); Marcus Persiani (piano);
Guillermo Edgehill (bass);
Bobby Sanabria (drums, timbales, cascara);
Juan "Papo" Pepin (congas);
Carlos "Patato" Valdez (congas, guiro);
Joe Gonzales (bongos, cowbell).


TRACKS/FAIXAS
1. Tanga: Cuban Lullaby
2. Tanga: Mambo
3. Tanga: Afro-Cuban Ritual
4. Tanga: Bolero
5. Tanga: Rumba Abierta
6. Carnegie Hall
7. Azulito
8. Son Cubano (Yo Sol el Con Cubano)
9. Ganga (Palo en Ganga)
10. Mambo Rincon
11. Chucho

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