Bobby Valentin: Mind of a Master

The problem with the Spanish language isn't that Latin American immigrants who come to the U.S. don't learn English fast enough, as some in the government claim. It's that those of us who speak only English are missing out on a vast Latin cultural landscape and its rich history. Sadly, English-only jazz fans aren't considered a viable market by many Latin record labels. So Latin albums aren't promoted in our orbit, and many of us never hear about them. That's why I avidly seek out the music and share it with you.

Case in point: Last Friday evening, I stopped by to see Harry Sepulveda. Harry is my main man for new and historic Latin music. Ivan Acosta, too. I've known Harry since the early 1980s, when Record Mart used to be down near the BMT in the Times Square subway station. Now it's up by the shuttle to Grand Central Terminal. As Harry and I talked jazz and Latin music on Friday evening, he put one finger up. “Papa, you have to dig this." Harry left and came back with Bobby Valentin & the LJ's Mind of a Master (Bronco). Valentin, who's known as El Rey del Bajo (or King of the Bass), has long been at the forefront of salsa and Latin jazz.

Born in Puerto Rico, Valentin moved with his family to the U.S. in 1956. After learning to play the trumpet and flugelhorn, Valentin joined the Tito Rodriguez Orchestra in 1963, arranging for Rodriguez as well as for Charlie Palmieri, Willie Rosario and Ray Barretto, among other Latin bandleaders. In 1969, Valentin began playing the bass. While touring with Rodriguez's band, the bassist didn't show up for a gig, so Valentin figured it out.

Valentin began recording as a leader in 1965 when he released El Mensajero (the Messenger) and Young Man With a Horn. Both are superb. I have many of Valentin's leadership albums, and one of my favorites is Algo Excipcional (1985), a strong salsa recording. His new one, Mind of a Master, is a richly textured Latin-jazz album that shifts restlessly from one groove to another. There are adventuresome jazz adaptations, such as Aaron Sachs's Blast Off, which originally appeared on Louis Belson's At the Flamingo Hotel, Vol. 1, in 1959. Valentin arranged it with a Latin feel.

There also are Latin-jazz fusions such as Coco Seco, which flowers beautifully. The album is a vivid showcase of Valentin's many gifts as an arranger, composer, player and visionary who knows what he wants and finds the right musicians to deliver. The LJ's in Valentin's band stands for the Latin Jazzists.

As journalist Jamie Torres Torres writes in the liner notes: “From the first mathematically precise measure of these charts, Valentin tells stories of singular lyricism and spirituality with Caribbean passion and romanticism, which we can appreciate in the sublime jazz ballad Endless Love, arranged and orchestrated for strings by Frankie Suarez, synthesized on the keyboards by Professor Orlando Santiago and a memorable and well-articulated solo by Bobby on the flugelhorn."

Joining Valentin on the album are Eliut Cintron on trombone, Angie Machado on trumpet, Angel Luis Torrez on alto saxophone, Eduardo Zayas on piano, David Marcano on drums and Javier Oquendo on conga. Guest musicians are Ivan Renta on tenor saxophone (on God Bless the Child and Blast Off), Jose Nelson Ramirez on organ (God Bless the Child) and the Orlando Santiago Strings Ensemble (on Endless Love).

If you're unfamiliar with Bobby Valenin, Mind of a Master will provide a revelatory introduction to Latin-jazz at a high level. I wish I was fluent in Spanish, if only to explore all of the great music and its history.

JazzWax clips: Here's Blast Off...



Here's Latin Gravy...



And here's Coco Seco...