Espirittista (1999)

About this title: The Baltimore-based Rumba Club's latest album continues the band's exploration of Latin dance rhythms, but this time out the jazz influences are more strongly present. This is partly obvious from the tunes selected for the program, which include two Wayne Shorter numbers ("Children of the Night," "Infant Eyes") as well as Cedar Walton's "Mosaic" and a swinging Mercer Ellington composition ("Things Ain't What They Used to Be"). But more important is the format, which follows more closely the standard head-solos-head format of straight-ahead jazz even as it thoroughly integrates the rhythms and ... read more

Tracks:

1. Children of the Night [Shorter]
2. Espiritista [Hannah/Gonzalez]
3. Delta [Norris]
4. Mosaic [Walton]
5. Cha Cha Cha [Valdes]
6. Consolidation [Norris]
7. Baltonimo [Hannah]
8. Infant Eyes [Shorter]
9. Rumba Seguito [Turner/Gonzalez]
10. Roots & Wings [Schwartzman]
11. Things Ain't What They Used to Be [Ellington/Persons]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.