Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet - 'To Hear From There'

If you’re looking to escape to the Caribbean for a while, then you should definitely listen to Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet’s current release, To Hear From There. (Quite an appropriate and clever title, don’t you think?)

Wayne Wallace is a five-time Grammy nominee whose skills transcend all musical genres. He’s worked with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Earth Wind and Fire, Santana, Count Basie, Tito Puente, Ray Charles and Sonny Rollins, among other great artists, establishing himself as one of the premier instrumentalists on the scene today. Wallace loves mixing traditional styles with contemporary music, as is obvious with this album.

To Hear From There pays homage to the Afro-Cuban aspects of Latin jazz. With upbeat numbers such as “La Escuela,” “Serafina Del Caribe,” “Perdido” and “Yemaya,” it’s easy to imagine yourself beachside, dancing the night away with friends under a starlit sky. Rounding out the CD are ballads and other mid-tempo songs which, while still staying true to old-school descarga jams, are not terribly mind-blowing. The renditions are somewhat soul-stirring, but remain overshadowed by the success that was Wallace’s previously praised album Bien Bien!, named one of DownBeat’s best releases in 2010.

Overall, To Hear From There makes for an entertaining listen, thanks largely in part to Wallace’s bandmates: David Belove (bass); Paul Van Wageningen (trap drums); Murray Low (piano); and Michael Spirro (congas, percussion). These talented musicians managed to capture the spirit of Afro-Cuban funk and bottle it up for the rest of us to enjoy at our leisure. I would definitely recommend this CD to jazz and non-jazz fans alike.

For more information, please visit the Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet’s website.