Latin Jazz Nights, featuring the Southwestern College Guitar Ensemble and Latin Jazz Ensemble, was not always Latin, but it was jazzy and great.
Dr. Jorge Pastrana’s guitarists kicked kicked the evening off strong, but not so Latin. “Concion O Tocata” by Santiago de Murcia was nice, and despite the lack of actual dancing, “An English Dance,” was cheerful and blanketed the audience. It was a pleasant experience for the ears, much like folk piece “Estartit” and Bach’s “Invention No. 4.”
“Sanctify Us by They Goodness” and “Rondo from Eine Kleine NachtMusik” were amiable pieces, but Pastrana’s adaptation of “Rondo” was wanting.
Though the guitarists demonstrated technical fluency, the songs sounded too similar to each other and lacked any sort of variety.
It was “The Girl from Ipanema” that brought some Latin to Latin Jazz Nights. It was easily the catchiest song of the early set and paved el camino for the Latin Jazz Ensemble.
Loud and powerful, “The Gift” unwrapped sounds of blazing trumpets, which unfortunately overwhelmed the vocals.
Alan Luna’s performance of “Besame Mucho” had a tasteful start, but Luna did not have the opportunity to fully demonstrate his powerhouse vocals once the drums stormed in and drowned him out. Trumpet soloist Elisabeth Meeker was sensational, but pushed Luna even further into the back of the mix.
Sandra Baker showed off her beautiful soprano during “Black Orpheus,” her voice was pure as good tequila and hot as habañero.
Arinda Caballero was the singer of the evening. Her Portuguese vocals for “Desafinado” flowed like silk as her sultry, seductive voice and charisma won over the audience. The electric guitar solo in her number stole the show and took the audience to heaven.
“Agua de Beber” and “Cumbanchero” were glorious. Luna, Baker and Caballero’s voices blended like a perfect margarita — sweet, salty and delicious.
Drummer Juan Medina dominated in “Gentle Rain.” Fake pauses sprinkled throughout the piece gathering chuckles in the audience. Quieter instruments had a chance to shine, including the congas played by Diego Velasquez.
“Monteca” was a strong and powerful finale. Electric guitars were impressive, giving the performance a bit of amplified funk.
Both groups were sublime and set feet tapping. A well-deserved standing ovation was a fitting end to a jazzy night that came in cool vanilla and ended in a deep, rich warm mocha.
