I've run across the name Sabu Martinez many times over
the last few years, but not until recently could I find
any of his records. Thanks to Lazarus, we now have two
of Sabu's obscure 1960's releases from the SMC label:
IN ORBIT and ASTRONAUTAS DE LA PACHANGA. Both are
combined on this double-lp reissue, SABU IN ORBIT.
(Sorry, CD-lovers: there's no digital version of this
yet!)
According to the album's informative liner notes, Sabu
grew up in New York's Spanish Harlem and first came to
prominence in the late 40's, playing percussion with
the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and Art Blakey. He
recorded his first album as a leader, PALO CONGO, in
1957 for the Blue Note label. Throughout his career,
Sabu was interested in blending Latin and jazz idioms,
and released a succession of albums that employed
varying approaches to the problem, with varying degrees
of success.
IN ORBIT features a spare latin combo of three
percussionists, acoustic bass, piano and organ. The
piano and organ feature most prominently, soloing over
the steady latin rhythms provided by conga, timbales,
and guiro. The organ has a touch of that "roller rink"
quality and the pianist could easily have dropped in
from the nearest cocktail lounge. But that just adds
an element of fun to the recording.
ASTRONAUTAS DE LA PACHANGA is an altogether more
energetic affair. This time the organist has been
replaced by a vibist, who interacts well with the
ensemble and adds more complexity to the tracks. The
percussionists are given more room to improvise, and
all the solos are hot. This record comes closer to my
expectations of what a "latin jazz" record sounds like.
Overall this is a very welcome reissue, and I'm hoping
all of you go out and buy it so Lazarus will be
encouraged to re-release more Sabu! You can order it
directly from Lazarus (lazaudio@ix.netcom.com), or you
can find it at Dusty Grooves (http://dustygroove.com).
-- Mark Turner mturner@netcom.com