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Tribute
Tony Lujan
BELLA 370
Nardis / Intrepid Fox / Forever My Love / Tomorrow’s Destiny /
Ceora / Daahoud / Sheba / Short Story / Tin Tin Deo. 53:59.
Lujan, tpt, flgh; Conrad Herwig, tbn; Miguel Zenon, as;
Yosvanni Terry, ts; Edsel Gomez, p; John Benitez, b;
Dafnis Prieto, d; Robertito Quintero, cajon; Lusito
Quintero, Richie Flores, perc; Felipe Sales, cond; Laura
Arpianen, Anna Basis, E.J. Lee, Eva Leon, vln; Elizabeth
Jaffe, Irena Momchilova, vla; Ren Arizumi, cel.
Dec. 2-3, 2003, Brooklyn, NY.
The tribute that Tony Lujan sends aloft on
is aimed at trumpeters Miles Davis, Freddie
Hubbard, Woody Shaw, Lee Morgan, Clifford
Brown, Clark Terry, Kenny Dorham, and Dizzy
Gillespie. He’s captured the essence of each,
through their compositions and by interpreting
them through their particular styles. Hubbard’s
composition, “Intrepid Fox,” flies high and fast,
while Terry’s composition, “Sheba,” moves at a
slow, Bolero tempo with strings and a lush, romantic
spirit. Throughout the program, Lujan and his
small band of Afro-Cuban Jazzmen keep the fires
burning. The leader possesses a rich, vibrant trumpet
tone and a warm, velvety flugelhorn sound. He
employs strings sparingly, and emphasizes the
Afro-Cuban influence that has come to make
Straight-ahead Jazz forceful. With Shaw’s piece, he
lights up with an exotic combination of melodic
themes. Yosvanni Terry, Conrad Herwig, and Edsel
Gomez add stirring solos. Morgan’s tribute and
Brown’s tribute return familiar melodies, done in an
up-tempo Latin Jazz celebration of their music. The
ensemble interprets both with authority, and Lujan
is on fire. Dorham’s tribute roars as a blazing-fast
celebration, and Gillespie’s salute closes the program.
As one would expect, the finale includes
screeches from on high, and furious flurries. Lujan
takes charge with his mighty horn, but his ensemble
loses its cohesiveness in several places. Their
spontaneity overwhelms, and the passion produces
a few disjointed applications. Nevertheless, the
program succeeds in giving a genuine Latin Jazz
salute to a handful of trumpeters who brought
Straight-ahead Jazz from its teenage years to a
mature understanding of the Art.
Jim Santella
Cadence Magazine, 2004
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