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Somebody, low in the mix, says, “Yeah!” as bass and drums shuffle and throb into “A Cool Night in the City,” the fourth tune into Maverick . “Yeah!”--like this sounds so good. And indeed it does. The tune serves as something of a centerpiece on pianist Carli Muñoz's excellent new disc, and it's not alone in the “yeah!” factor among these nine tunes, which include three standards and six Muñoz-penned compositions.
Muñoz has worked with Wilson Pickett and George Benson, and he had an eleven-year tenure with the Beach Boys. Here he displays straightahead jazz chops on a (mostly) piano trio outing. Mention piano trio and two names immediately come to mind: Keith Jarrett and Bill Evans. Muñoz has brought in two veterans of those groups--Jack DeJohnette, who worked with Evans and has maintained a long association with Jarrett; and Eddie Gomez , who worked with Evans for eleven years. Gomez has a big, thick, assertive sound, and DeJohnette is the classy, ebullient, and always fascinating texturalist.
Muñoz pens an engaging melody on these tunes, which fit in nicely with well-chosen standards. The opening title tune features saxophonist David Sanchez, cooking; “Three Little Steps to Heaven” brings in clarinetist Don Byron; the closing “Yellow Moon Tune” features some lovely dark hues from Jane Scarpaloni's cello. The guest slots are surrounded by the piano trio efforts, and these are absolutely top notch: “Katira's Waltz,” with as pretty a melody as you'll hear, Muñoz's piano sounding crisp and succinct, a mix of delicacy and deft percussive beauty; and “A Cool Night in the City” (a highlight), which has an insistent energy and momentum and marvelous group interplay.
The standards include “You Don't Know What Love Is,” Keith Jarrett's “Margot,” and “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning,” the last piece veering into an appealingly abstract zone.
A truly fine outing. What can you say but... “Yeah!”
Dan McClenaghan /ALLABOUTJAZZ
ALLABOUTJAZZ
By John Kelman
Some feel the only way to remain true to the jazz tradition is to focus one's energies exclusively within that domain. Others believe that all experience is valuable, and that a stylistically broad career needn't tarnish an ability to remain truthful to a jazz aesthetic.
Carli Muñoz clearly fits into the latter camp. The Puerto Rican pianist has been involved in the music industry for over forty years, both in PR and on both coasts of the United States . Over the years he's recorded and/or performed with artists as diverse as Wilson Pickett, Rickie Lee Jones, and the Beach Boys, with whom he toured for eleven years.
While Muñoz's passion for jazz remained, it always seemed to take a back seat until 1982, when he decided to devote more of his energies to it. After concert and recording dates with artists like George Benson, Chico Hamilton, and Les McCann, he returned to Puerto Rico , opening a successful jazz dinner club in Old San Juan called Carli Café Concierto. In addition to supporting touring artists who came to the club, Muñoz recorded a number of albums, including Both Sides Now --an album of duets with bassist Eddie Gomez , who first met Muñoz at Carli Café Concierto.
While Muñoz has forged a successful space for himself at home, greater recognition in North America has eluded him, something that Maverick should change. On this recording Muñoz is accompanied by Gomez and drummer Jack DeJohnette, plus guest appearances by clarinetist Don Byron and saxophonist David Sanchez--a younger fellow Puerto Rican whose performance at this year's Ottawa International Jazz Festival was a highlight. Maverick is a showcase for Muñoz's vivid improvisational style and melodic compositional skills.
It's great to hear DeJohnette and Gomez together again. They collaborated heavily during the late 1970s and early 1980s on a number of ECM recordings, and it's clear that the passage of time hasn't diluted their uncanny chemistry. Sessions where relative unknowns recruit big name stars often feel like perfunctory session work, but Maverick has an energy that suggests the three musicians had more than their share of good times recording it.
The trio swings hard on Muñoz originals like the title track--featuring a hard-edged solo from Sanchez--and more elegantly on “Katrina's Waltz.” “Entre Nous” is darker fare, given gentle motion by Gomez and DeJonette's ability to subtly imply ideas without clearly stating them. “Three Little Steps to Heaven” is another fiery swinger which shows that Byron may aspire to greater adventure on his own projects, but he ultimately never leaves his roots behind.
A philosophy equally applicable to Muñoz. He may have spread himself out stylistically over his career, but it's clear where his heart truly lies. Virtuosic without being superfluous, Muñoz' playing style matches his writing--direct, unassuming, and to the point. But he's also an interpretive pianist with wide open ears, and he's never overshadowed by the more illustrious reputations and experiences of his musical partners on Maverick.
John Kelman /ALLABOUTJAZZ
ALLABOUTJAZZ
By David Miller
The best jazz always comes from kindred spirits. When artists share a vision and a thirst for innovation, they can always come together and make a great record. It doesn't matter if they've ever played together, or if they've been gigging together. The best bands can just rip right into a tune without missing a beat.
Sometimes, when artists share a heritage or nationality, they can be kindred spirits without ever meeting. Chick Corea and Gonzalo Rubalcaba are a prime example. So are Carli Muñoz and Eddie Gomez . Maverick is the latest project that the two have worked on together. The disc is essentially a straightahead piano trio record (the unparalleled Jack DeJohnette plays drums) with a few like-minded artists (David Sanchez, Don Byron, and Jane Scarpantoni) adding their unique contributions to certain pieces.
The astounding interplay among the players helps distinguish this album from other piano trio efforts. Gomez and Muñoz have played together on many occasions at Muñoz's Carli Café Concerto, and Gomez and DeJohnette have crossed paths many times, most notably with Bill Evans' trio. That leaves Muñoz and DeJohnette. Said the pianist, “I mentioned that I felt a connection with Jack DeJohnette. We're close to the same age and I like Jack's feel, his vibe, all the different things he's done.” DeJohnette is also a veteran of some of the greatest trios to have graced the stage, including those with Evans, Hank Jones, and Keith Jarrett. When three artists of this caliber are put together in a room, sparks are bound to fly.
A second distinguishing feature of this album is Muñoz's compositional acumen. His compositions are deceptively simple and could very easily be mistaken for standards. “Yellow Moon Tune” is sprawling in its beauty, evoking a landscape or a starry night. Scarpantoni contributes magnificently on cello. “Three Little Steps to Heaven” incorporates the playfulness of Chick Corea with the simplicity and heavy chords of Herbie Hancock. And each composition is given reverential treatment by the trio.
Muñoz's style gives the trio a very full, almost orchestral sound. At no point does the music feel rushed; the pianist's lush chords engulf each soloist, giving him a space in which to improvise. Gomez's elastic style alternates between giving the music such support that he is nearly lost in the mix and soloing perfectly over the melody. DeJohnette's signature cymbals and perfect pitch pervade the record, giving each tune the right backbone and just enough of an edge and swing backbeat.
David Sanchez, another Puerto Rico native, adds his tenor to the title track, another brilliant Muñoz composition. Gomez solos first, playing around the chord changes with ease. Muñoz evokes a softer McCoy Tyner with his solo, bringing the tune to a crescendo before Sanchez brings it back to earth with a few simple notes. Those few notes are jazz at its best. Sanchez suggests musically which direction he would like to go, and the other musicians follow immediately. Completely spontaneous, yet perfectly collective. Only kindred spirits can achieve this sort of communication.
David Miller /ALLABOUTJAZZ
ALLABOUTJAZZ
A thunderous chord, flattened notes, and a rollicking melody turn out to be the calling cards for Carli Muñoz. He gets off to a fine start with “Maverick,” underlining his prowess as a pianist with some delightful runs and heady harmonics. But saxophonist David Sanchez cuts to the chase, dissecting the melody and spiriting it in to some high energy invention with a wealth of ideas.
The opening title tune casts the perfect shadow for Muñoz, who has been active in pop as well as jazz music circles. The later now eclipses the rest, and among his recordings are Love Tales, a solo piano set, and Both Sides Now, with Eddie Gomez , Paul Chambers, and Jeremy Steig. Gomez has been a compact partner for Muñoz, and they bring Maverick to fruition with drummer Jack DeJohnette, with whom Muñoz says he “felt a connection.”
Muñoz is a lyrical player. “Katira's Waltz” is an elegant tune, the playing spare yet capturing the essence, with a light swing adding to the appeal. Muñoz soon ups the tempo and even as his right hand describes some elevating musical arcs, his left pegs down some incisive chords. The mood on “Three Little Steps to Heaven” is upbeat and vibrant. The trio pushes the pulse, and when Don Byron comes in on the clarinet, the groove gets a lighter pliancy that juxtaposes the evolution nicely. The whole outing comes off in high gear.
Jerry D'Souza /ALLABOUTJAZZ
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