Papo Vazquez Pirates Troubadours & The Mighty Pirate Orch.

Papo Vazquez at The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival,NYC

 

By Ernest Barteldes - All About Jazz.com

Tompkins Square Park, New York City

August 30, 2009

 

The weather did not threaten the second day of music at the annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival in Manhattan's Tompkins Square Park.

The sun shone through all day, treating fans and musicians alike to an afternoon of resplendent music.

Trombonist Papo Vazquez kicked off his set with his 8-piece Pirates Troubadours ensemble with a complex, yet highly improvised, overture in which he played a bullhorn.

It soon was clear that he would not limit himself to Latin jazz,

instead showcasing the diverse music he's made

over his longtime career as a musician, arranger and bandleader.

He then picked up his trombone, and initiated an Afro-Latin tune in which all

of his bandmembers had a chance to improvise freely.

Next was “Oasis,” a song Vazquez announced as related to the servicemen and women currently in the Middle East. The tune, which was structured in an odd meter, was generously infused with elements of Arabic music.

The band then returned to Latin territory with “Sol Tropical,” a tune that had numerous people dancing. One of its highlights was a

call-and-response vocal playfully exchanged between the leader and the audience. The band then switched gears with “Mangalarga,” a more

experimental number, though Vazquez soon revealed his softer side with the short ballad “City of Brotherly Love,” an homage to his hometown

of Philadelphia. Dancer Julia Gutierrez joined the ensemble for the finale, a heavily percussive number with odd tempo changes.