Just get a load of Manuel Valera Sr’s opening alto sax all unaccompanied on the intro to “Longina” and you’ll know all you need to want this album. His horn is like honey from Peru-just silky sweet with a hint of a tear. He emphasizes the Great Latin Songbook here, with his team of Manuel Valera/p, Hans Glawischnig/g, Ludwig Afonso/dr and Mauricio Herrera/perc. They can deliver irresistibly sensuous boleros such as “Tres Palabras” and “Solamente Una Vez” and can also go bel canto Cuban on a swinging “La Tarde.” He closes with a luscious take of Ellington’s “Solitude,” but the whole mood here is as polished as the grill on a ’49 Buick, and cruises just as easily on the V8 of a session.
Mavo Records