Another signpost in the steadily growing awareness of the value of
Horace Silver's tune catalog, an octet of Latin-jazz-minded New Yorkers take on ten Silver songs with style and a certain amount of fire. Many of the precisely arranged tunes are naturally cut out for the salsa treatment, though a few such as "The Preacher" have to be shoehorned somewhat awkwardly into the Latin groove. The horns -- all of whom are stalwart members of the
Tito Puente band -- are leader
Mitch Frohman (tenor, flute),
Bobby Porcelli (alto) and
Ray Vega (trumpet, flugelhorn), hard-nosed boppers who all have cogent stories to tell in their solos. The ensemble is a classic eight-piece salsa band, with the capable
Oscar Hernandez on piano, Bernie Minoso on bass, and Johnny Rodriguez,
Jimmy Delgado and Wilson "Chembo" Corniel as the mostly medium-flamed percussion team. Good stuff, though not electrifying. ~ Richard S. Ginell