A Centennial Salute To Tito & Tito
Truth Revolution, 2025
9/10
Listen to A Centennial Salute To Tito & Tito
The long running Bronx outfit, Steven Oquendo Latin Jazz Orchestra, celebrates the centennials of Tito Puente and Tito Rodriguez with this exciting and timeless live set.
After a quick intro, “Machito Forever” follows with Carlos “Carly” Maldonado’s lively congas and Jerry Madera’s animated bass complementing the many winds and brass, and “El Que Se Fué” follows with soulful singing amid Nelson Matthew Gonzalez’s cultured timbales and booming sax presence.
Further along, “Yambú” showcases front man Leo Gruber’s expressive pipes alongside the 4 rich trumpet players for a festive mood, while “Joy Spring” radiates much melody thanks to Antoine Alvear’s meticulous keys and integration of the alto, bari and tenor saxes.
“Tus Ojos” and “Barbarabatiri” exit the listen. The former is a soft and intimate moment of beauty and grace, and the latter finishes with Jose Claussell’s strategic bongos and the many vocalists emitting plenty of worldly jazz flavor.
The tunes were captured at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club, and they certainly do justice to Puente and Rodriguez’s legacy, where the Big Band presence swings and gets funky and band leader Steven Oquendo’s trumpet won’t go unnoticed, either.
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