PAPO VAZQUEZ: AT THE POINT (Vol. 1)

MEU AMIGO ANGEL "PAPO" VÁZQUEZ
Vou contar um "causo" ocorrido há uns cinco anos com ANGEL 'PAPO' VAZQUES, fantástico trombonista "boricua", um dos grandes nomes do Latin Jazz. Eu tinha ido assistir à Banda do Chico O'Farril no Birdland; terminada a funçao, saí com o Papo e o Michael Phillip Mossman,um dos trumpetistas da banda, (judeu-americano, de alma cubana, que conheci num Festival de Jazz em São Paulo, quando ele lá esteve em 1990 integrando o grupo de Horace Silver). Fomos pro "Dempsey's Pub", para tomar as "saideiras" e jogar conversa fora. O "Papo" Vázquez é fã de carteirinha no nosso velho RAUL DE BARROS, trombonista das antigas, a quem considera autêntico, original e puro - mas não dá a mínima pro Raul de Souza, que prá ele é apenas mais um bom trombonista, num universo de centenas. Pois bem: lá pelas tantas, o Papo, já com a "moringa cheia de rum", sacou o trombone e mandou ver a plenos pulmões o solo completo do famoso chorinho de autoria do nosso Raul de Barros, 'NA GLÓRIA'! A galera no bar, formada somente por "halterocopistas" e boemios profissionais, delirou e pediu mais. E o nosso glorioso PV não se fez de rogado e continuou tocando por um bom tempo. Esse é o grande ANGEL "PAPO "VÁZQUEZ"!

(*) NOTA: Foi a segunda vez que vi "Papo" solando o choro "Na Glória"; a primeira foi no próprio "Birdland"; depois de uma função, enquanto a orquestra dispersava, ele, brincando, me disse que tocava chorinho tão bem quanto os trombonistas brasileiros e confirmou!
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PAPO VÁZQUEZ
Born on February 24th, 1958, Vazquez grew up in the heart of North Philadelphia's Puerto Rican community. After buying a $5 trombone from a friend's brother, Vazquez joined his elementary school band. Late, inspired by Latin trombonists such as Barry Rogers, Jose Rodriguez and Willie Colon, Vazquez decided to become a professional musician at the age of 13. By the early 1970s Vazquez had moved to New York and was playing with bands like Conjunto Libre and Hector Lavoe. Before long he was working with top names in Latin music like the Fania All Stars, Ray Barretto, Celia Cruz, Eddie Palmieri, Ruben Blades, Chucho Valdez and Tito Puente. Vazquez has always been deeply moved by jazz and specifically cites the music of John Coltrane and J. J. Johnson as having the most influence. He studied Slide Hampton and later arranged and performed for Hampton's "World of Trombones". Eventually, Vazquez would tour
Europe with the Ray Charles Orchestra and perform in New York with jazz luminaries Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Foster, Woody Shaw, Mel Lewis, Pharoah Sanders, Wynton Marsalis, Lonnie Smith and Lenny White. His involvement with Hilton Ruiz, Dave Valentin and Jerry Gonzalez placed Vazquez as a key player in the burgeoning Latin jazz genre. In the 1980s Vazquez travelled the globe. He played with Batacumbele in Puerto Rico from 1981 to 1986. Batacumbele were one of the most innovative and popular Latin fusion bands of the time. He wrote for Orquesta Nacional Jovenil
de Puerto Rico. Later on he travelled as principal trombonist for Tito Puente and toured Europe with Dizzy Gillespie's United Nations Orchestra. Vazquez' ability to fuse Afro-Carribean rhythms, especially those from Cuba and Puerto Rico, with freer melodic and harmonic elements of progressive jazz has insured his popularity on many fronts. He played on Ruben Blades award winning salsa albums, on the soundtrack to Spike Lee's "Mo' Better Blues" and on "The Mambo Kings". Vazquez most recent appearances in movie soundtracks includes a slot on the "Thomas Crown Affair" with the Chico O'Farrill Orchestra. He also appears on O'Farrills latest recording "Heart of an Angel" In the 1980s Vazquez took his bands to jazz festivals in New York, Puerto Rico, Houston, and Philadelphia. He returned to Puerto Rico in early 1999 and
was an integral part of the Dockers Khakis-sponsored Mambo Madness tour which took place in the summer of 1999. The year 2000 sees Papo making trips to South Africa for the North Sea Jazz Festival. Papo is one of the premiere trombonists on the scene today... What you get for the buck is pure unmitigated jazz on the Latin side, or what I like to call jazz con clave".
(From: SALSAWEB.COM)
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MINHA OPINIÃO - este é o álbum que o "Papo" me deu de presente de aniversário no domingo; reúne uma constelação de grandes nomes do "latin-jazz" e foi gravado ao vivo no "At the point" no Bronx. Eu já possuía o Volume 2, que postarei quando voltar pra Miami (ou pro Brasil -, porque não me lembro onde está guardado).
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PAPO VÁZQUEZ: At The Point (Vol. 1)
Label: Cubop Records
Orig Year: 1999
Catalog nr: 15015
Recorded live at The Point, Bronx, New York on November 11 & 12, 1997.

PERSONNEL:
Papo Vázquez (vocals, arranger, trombone, percussion)
Milton Cardona (vocals, percussion)
Willie Williams (tenor saxophone)
Arturo O'Farrill (piano, background vocals)
Tony Batista, Andy Gonzalez (bass)
Phoenix Rivera (drums, background vocals)
Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez (drums)
Richie Flores (congas)
Tito Cepeda, Mickey Sierra (pleneras)
Robert Sancho (background vocals)
Michael Brecker (tenor saxophone)

TRACKS:FAIXAS:
1. Baila Plena
2. Amor Gitano
3. Valz De Los Invisibles
4. La Puerta
5. Coqui
6. The Last Dynasty

DOWNLOAD: AQUI