A Latin jazz classic has finally been remastered. Louis “Sabú” Martínez (1930-1979) is considered one of the most prolific conga players in the history of Afro-Cuban jazz.
A native of New York's Spanish Harlem, he worked at a young age with local mambo artists such as Noro Morales, Miguelito Valdés and the Lecuona Cuban Boys. In 1948, Louis became the conga player with Dizzy Gillespie’s band, right after the unexpected death of Chano Pozo. It was Dizzy who nicknamed him Sabú.
Between 1956 and 1958, Sabú became an in-demand percussionist on recording sessions by such legendary jazz figures as Horace Silver, J.J. Johnson, and Art Blakey. It was the hard bop era, a time when bebop musicians welcomed back the influences of the blues, r&b and Latin rhythms into jazz, and the use of the conga became more common.
It is worth noting that Sabú participated in the percussion-centered experimental recordings of Art Blakey such as Orgy in Rhythm, Vols. 1 & 2 on the Blue Note label. Sabú was part of an effort by black and Latin musicians in the '50s to find common ground by exploring the African elements of their music.
It was not until 1957 that Sabú started to record albums under his own name, including Palo Congo (1957) and Safari (1960). These records gravitated around the folk roots of the Afro-Caribbean spectrum and included stellar contributors like Arsenio Rodríguez and Ray Barretto. But the conguero's most famous album came in 1961 with Jazz Espagnole.
There is speculation among aficionados that this record was something of an accident. It was originally intended to be a recording by the band of Frankie Malangre (a background percussionist on this album). Sabú was hired by producer Al Santiago as a sideman, but because of his fame, the band agreed to put his name on the cover. What made this recording an instant winner was the assistance of Louie Ramírez and Marty Sheller, two of the most talented arrangers in the history of Latin music.
At the time of this recording, Louie Ramirez (1938-1993) was studying at the prestigious Juilliard music school. He contributed three compositions to Jazz Espagnole: the Afro-Cuban gem “The Oracle,” the catchy samba jazz “I Remember Carmen,” and the son montuno
“Flamenco Ain’t Bad.”
“Breakin' It In,” an Afro-Cuban tune with a strong hard bop influence, was written by trumpet player Marty Sheller, best known for his work with Mongo Santamaría. During the '70s, both Ramírez and Sheller were two of the most respected arrangers of the music we now call salsa. What's interesting about Jazz Espagnole is how all of the musicians here have a clear understanding of both the Latin and jazz idioms. The jazz improvisations on “Breakin' It In,” “Flamenco Ain't Bad,” and “Woody 'N You” are striking and authentic. Bobby Porcelli, who performed some of them, is one of the most accomplished flutists and saxophonists in Latin jazz, having worked with Tito Puente, Tito Rodríguez, and Machito. Porcelli is an exciting soloist who was influenced heavily by Charlie Parker and Sonny Still.
Sabú was left-handed. Together with Barretto, Cándido, and Mongo Santamaría, he belongs to the pantheon of congueros who were masters of their instruments within a straight ahead jazz context. There is something raw and authentic about the music in Jazz Espagnole. Classic hard bop compositions like Horace Silver’s “Enchantment” and “Nica's Dream” meet groovy Latin rhythms. An essential entry in any comprehensive Latin Jazz collection, Jazz Espagnole is representative of the work that quintets were doing with Latin rhythms during the hard bop era.
Credits:
Sabú Martínez – Leader, Conga
Louie Ramírez – Percussion
Ernie Newsum – Percussion
Marty Sheller – Trumpet
Bobby Porcelli – Alto Sax
Arty Jenkins – Piano
Bill Salter – Bass
Producer – Al Santiago
Original Cover Artwork – Israel Sanabria
Written by Gregory “Goyo” Pappas
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