 Close Your Eyes United
The legendary jazz drummer Art Blakey was a giant of rhythm. Conguero Ray Barretto is a looming figure himself, a linchpin of modern Latin music. The paths of these two master percussionists first crossed in the early 1950s, and they recorded together on Blakey’s Holiday for Skins in 1958. Barretto’s tribute to Blakey mixes his Latin rhythmic spice into a steaming hard-bop groove. Propelling a tightly knit sextet from behind his congas, Barretto casts his eye on tunes once associated with Blakey or influenced by the sound of his influential Jazz Messengers ensembles. Four terrific Wayne Shorter pieces and a Lee Morgan tune are featured, as well as a boppish take on “Frère Jacques.” Throughout the proceedings, the septuagenarian Barretto sounds as fresh and energized as his younger crew, which includes such enthusiastic and able players as trumpeter John Bailey, saxophonist Miguel Zenon, and pianist Luis Perdomo. Heartfelt and swinging, it's a recording that Blakey himself would have proudly embraced. Steve Futterman |