Arsenio And Beyond: Live At The Bronx Music Hall
Jazzheads, 2026
9/10
Listen to Arsenio And Beyond: Live At The Bronx Music Hall
The multi-talented Bobby Sanabria recruits a large cast for these 9 songs that pay tribute to Arsenio Rodriguez and comes with plenty of worldly flavor.
“Tumba Y Bongó” opens the listen with Max Darche’s animated trumpet alongside plenty of frisky percussive ideas in the busy climate, and “La Fruta” follows with Noah Bless’ well timed trombone amid Kali Rodriguez’s vocals and much rhythm.
Landing in the middle, “La Cartera” benefits from Gabrielle Garo’s lively flute and Gerardo Contino’s expressive singing in the festive delivery, while “Mambo Diablo” enlists Danny Rivera’s bari sax and Peter Brainin’s tenor sax alongside plenty of voices that suits the mesmerizing album highlight.
Making our way towards the end, “El Elemento Del Bronx” layers brass, drums and winds with plenty of sing-alongs, and “Yo Naci En Africa/Anabacoa” exits with Nathan Eklund’s colorful trumpet and Andrew Gould’s well timed alto sax adding much to the dense and vibrant landscape.
A Big Band outing like no other, the Latin themes and body shakin’ instrumentation sure do justice to Arsenio’s vision, where Sanabria’s contributions are immeasurable and timeless.
Travels well with: Christopher Sánchez- Latin Jazz Meets Opera; Livio Almeida- Brasilia Sessions