Ray Mantilla supplies a plethora of various percussion ideas as he leads his sizzling band through exciting arrangements by himself and Edy Martinez. The band of Ivan Renta/ss-ts, Jorge Castro/bs-fl, Guido Gonzalez/tp-fh, Edy Martinez/key, Cucho Martinez/b and Diego Lopez sizzle and percolate on ideas like an assertive take of Miles Davis’ “Solar” that has tasty ivory treats by Martinez” while Ron Carter’s “Third Plane” is a salsa supreme with Mantilla on timbales. Gonzalez’ horn sparkles under the leader’s hip hop groove of “Cedar’s Blues” and guest Mike Freeman adds some simmering vibes for “Comin’ Home Baby” and the scintillating teamwork with Castro’s flute on “Tu No Me Quieres.” A mixture of hot peppers and turmeric occurs in the sauce while Maitreya Padukone adds tablas for some India caliente sounds on the leader’s “Late Change” and Renta’s tenor is as warm as a poncho on the ballad “The Gypsy.” This one’s a cooker!
Savant Records