Viva Cubop 3

Viva Cubop 3
Latin Jazz. Because this is a collection the sound varies from track to track, some are pretty straight Latin Jazz, whereas others vary from earthy Cuban folk to a more modern Acid Jazz sound. CuBop Records is a subsidiary of Ubiquity that has been putting out pretty decent Latin Jazz albums for some time now. This is the third annual overview of the artists on the label, collecting songs from recent and classic CuBop releases. Their standards are extremely high, and I'm generally pleased with just about anything they put out, including the tracks on this collection. Lots and lots of current Latin Jazz comes out sounding a little too smooth, a trap which CuBop usually avoids. My only disappointment here is that most or all of these tracks are all from previously released albums, it would be nice to see some unreleased alternates or upcoming releases highlighted here.
1) *Light, sassy Cuban jam
2) Chorus vocals, percussion featured with piano
3) *Alternates between straight ahead cover of Coltrane's classic version and a sinister Latin groove during the sax and congas solos
4) Jazzy, with the healthy focus on the rhythm section
5) *Danceable with female spoken word vocals
6) *Furious percussion groove with horns
7) Smooth midtempo boogaloo
8) Lighter, jazzier.
9) *Great funky tune played with youthful exuberance
10) Percussion and chant
11) *Marimba!
12) *Up-tempo in Snowboys usual acid-jazzy style
13) *Female vocals and chorus
Tom Purcell, April 2003