Artist: Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band
Album: The River Is Deep
Genre: Afro-Cuban Jazz, Post-Bop
Label: Enja Records
Released: 1982
Quality: APE (image+.cue)
Tracklist:
- Introduction by Jerry Gonzalez 0:27
- Elegua 2:06
- Bebop 11:15
- Rio Esta Hondo 6:55
- Guiro Apache 1:47
- Parisian Thoroughfare 13:07
- Wawina Era Wo 6:49
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- Personnel:
- Jerry Gonzalez — Bells, Conga, Coro, Flugelhorn, Trumpet
- Frankie Rodrigues — Claves, Conga, Vocals
- Wilfredo Velez — Sax (Alto)
- Steve Turre — Trombone, Trombone (Bass)
- Angel Papo Vasquez — Trombone
- Edgardo Miranda — Cuatro, Guitar
- Jorge Dalto — Piano
- Andy González — Bass, Coro
- Steve Berrios — Bata, Chekere, Coro, Drums
- Gene Golden — Bata, Bells, Chekere, Conga
- Héctor Hernández — Bata, Chekere, Conga
- Nicky Marrero — Guataca, Percussion, Timbales
Jerry Gonzalez, equally proficient at trumpet and congas, leads his Fort Apache Band through a live set concentrating on Latinized versions of bop standards and pieces directly from the Afro-Cuban santeria tradition. The bop pieces, Dizzy Gillespie's "Bebop" and Bud Powell's "Parisian Thoroughfare," are given rough and tumble treatments, bobbing along on extensive percussion and tight arrangements. They feature some fine soloing from pianist Jorge Dalto and altoist Wilfredo Velez especially, the latter stretching things a bit beyond the changes. But the real highlights are the songs by vocalist Frankie Rodrigues, including the title track (though it's listed in Spanish as "Rio Esta Hondo"). The call and response of the singers over the crackling, extraordinarily complex rhythms of the percussionists is very exciting stuff, providing a unique sort of tension and release. The final cut, "Wawina Era Wo," makes the African part of Afro-Cuban crystal clear: a wonderful interlocking melody reminiscent of parts of Clifford Thornton's The Gardens of Harlem, with the horns and percussion in an intricate and heady dance. On the whole, The River Is Deep has perhaps a shade less bite than the preceding release, Ya Yo Me Cure on American Clave, but it's an invigorating session nonetheless. Recommended.
Review by Brian Olewnick