Ray Mantilla leads with a percussion discussion on this salsa flavored mix of jazz standards with a cruising team of Ivan Renta/ss-ts, Jorge Castro/fl-bs, Guio Gonzalez/tp-fh, Mike Freeman/vib, Edy Martinez/p-key, Reuben Rodriguez/b, Diego Lopez/dr and Ogudaro Diaz & Rafael Monteagudo/perc. The team is California Cool with Freeman’s vibes on Tito Puente’s “Philly Mambo” and Renta’s tenor is romantic on “Preciosa”, with tons of percussion rumbling like an avalanche on the deeply grooved “Rebirth Bata Rumba Experimental”. But the real fun happens when the spices are added to some standards with the timbales adding a joyful pulse to Van Morrison’s “Moondance”, Gonzalez searing over the simmering take of Bobby Timmons’ “Dat Dere” and the melding of vibes and flute for a street level take of “Hit The Road, Jack”. This music turns salsa into a verb, adding spice to every song. Listen and taste!