UCLA Performing Arts Cuban jazz trumpeter Arturo
Sandoval joins saxophonist David Sanchez
at UCLA’s Royce Hall, Sunday.
By Chris Young
Daily Bruin Staff
Latin jazz music has only recently been recognized by mainstream
audiences, including the Recording Academy, but it’s nothing
new to Arturo Sandoval and David Sánchez.
Trumpeter Sandoval, saxophonist Sánchez and their groups
perform Sunday night at Royce Hall, illustrating two different
approaches of wedding jazz with Latin influences.
The Recording Academy, which runs the annual Grammy Awards, only
recognized Latin jazz as a category in 1994.
“We pushed to create the Latin jazz category, of which
Arturo won the first award, because we kept saying, these poor guys
don’t have a group, so they end up not getting a
Grammy,” said Steven Loza, a UCLA ethnomusicology professor
and 10-year member of the Grammy Award screening committees.
“I think it’s going to be a wonderful show,”
said Kenny Burrell, director of the UCLA music department’s
jazz studies program. “You have these two great musicians who
embrace the jazz tradition and repertoire and also bring in their
own cultures. The spreading of jazz to other countries demonstrates
the power of jazz ““ it’s all over the world.”
Sandoval has 12 Grammy nominations and has won Best Latin Jazz
Performance for his album’s “Hot House” and
“Danzón,” and Best Latin Recording when he was a
member of the group Irakere for its self-titled album.
Sánchez has two Grammy nominations, one for
“Obsesión” in 1999, and one for
“Melaza” in 2000.
Both artists draw strongly from their cultural backgrounds in
Latin America ““ Sandoval from Cuba and Sánchez from
Puerto Rico ““ although they also draw from the rest of the
Caribbean and Latin America, as well as from historically American
art forms like jazz.
The contrast between the older Sandoval and younger Sánchez
comes across in how they emphasize the mixture of Latin and jazz
influences in their music.
Sandoval’s music is like a tree of Latin jazz ““ with
roots steeped in Latin rhythms and leaves hung with jazz
ornamentation.
“He’s an amazing musician because he can bridge the
two styles of Latin jazz and hardcore Cuban music,” said
Loza, also a professional trumpet player. “He can interpret
Cuban folk music, straight ahead bebop, Latin jazz, even
classical.”
Sánchez, in contrast, uses jazz as his foundation, with
Latin elements adding color to the music.
“Because of their great backgrounds in jazz, younger
players like Sanchez are making Latin jazz evolve even more
intensely,” Loza said. “His is probably the most
progressive Latin jazz artist right now.”
The sheer skill of artists like Sandoval draws praise from other
musicians, such as Burrell, one of jazz’s great guitar
players.
“Arturo is such a massive trumpet player, he’s one
of those musicians who can play anything on his instrument, from a
symphony orchestra to a jazz combo,” Burrell said.
“I’m glad he chose jazz.”
Sandoval said that his early inspirations came from Dizzy
Gillespie, one of the most famous trumpet players in history.
“Through his inspiration, he taught me to love and
understand the music, to follow every detail of the music,”
Sandoval said in a phone interview.
Taking what he learned from Gillespie, Sandoval went on to
personalize his voice on the trumpet, establishing himself at the
vanguard of the instrument. He is well known for lightning-fast
runs, masterfully fluid technique, a huge tone range and overall
energetic playing.
Sánchez, who grew up in Puerto Rico and moved to New York
at age 20, also played with Dizzy Gillespie and combines his jazz
knowledge with his roots and other world music. He has made four
recordings with his steady quintet since 1993, and played in
numerous international festivals and tours.
“Sánchez is a very trained, polished musician,”
Loza said.
The modest tenor saxophone player thinks he is just beginning to
find his individuality.
“I want to play music that sounds free, not just jazz or
just Latin,” Sánchez said in a phone interview from
Atlanta, his current tour location. “This concept is a
different vision, a different perspective of music. People say,
“˜I’ve never heard anything like this before ““
it’s different. The way you deliver things, it sounds
fresh.'”
The artists’ love of live performance is obvious and the
excitement of experiencing live music is a big part of Latin
jazz.
“I enjoy live performances more than studio recordings. I
think that the connection with the audience is more exciting than
the connection with the microphone,” Sandoval said.
In the same vein, Sánchez said that music only really
evolves through live performance.
“Touring is great fun. You have a lot of time; you really
see different stages of the music evolving on the bandstand,”
Sánchez said. “You watch the music grow.”
MUSIC: The Arturo Sandoval Band and the David
Sanchez Sextet play on a shared bill at Royce Hall Sunday, April 22
at 7 p.m. Tickets are $40, $35, $25 and $12 for UCLA students with
I.D., at the UCLA Central Ticket Office. For information or tickets
call (310) 825-2101. There will be a Center Stage discussion in
Royce Hall at 6 p.m. with Steven Loza from the department of
ethnomusicology.