Don’t expect any guest appearances by Yve Marie Saint or Cary Grant on this session, but don’t let that keep you from soaking in the warm glow from this picante collection by mallet master Steven Pouchie and his sizzling team of Wilson Corniel/perc, Julio Botti/ts-ss, Solo Rodriguez/b, Diego Lopez/dr and Sam Barrios/key along with a host of vibrant guests. He has a lot of fun with some jazz standards as on “Frenesei Cha Cha” with Jorge Maldonado’s rich voice and “My Favorite Things” which features the full throated Roman Diaz belting out the lyrics. A sweaty medley of songs from “ West Side Story” spotlights “Guido Gonzalez’s trumpet as well as a take of “Cuban Chant” including the floating flute of Ariel Santiago gliding over Pouchei’s vibes. The leader uses his sticks on marimba and vibes, sometimes on lyrical melodies and other moments creating a percussive groove that doesn’t let go. Lots of excitement and fun on the swinging salsa session.
Latin Jazz Alive Records