Joseph Diamond
NOT YOUR TYPICAL NEW YORKER
(Basileus Music)

For those of you not familiar with New York, for one of the largest cities on planet earth it is amazing how one can travel throughout the city and be invisible. You can actually hop on a crowded subway car during the rush and have someone's elbow in your face while having someone else's briefcase stabbing you in the back. Throughout the whole ride not a soul on that train will actually care to know who it is that is standing right next to them, or who it is that is stepping on their blue suede shoes. Not a soul takes notice of your existence here in the Big Apple. Joseph Diamond however is NOT YOUR TYPICAL NEW YORKER as the title of his debut cd suggests.

Joseph, aka Montoya, is having a tough time trying to remain incognito here in the Apple. In just a short time, since the release of his cd, just about everybody has been hearing, reading and witnessing the power of his music. Just about every major newspaper and magazine has had something good to say about the cd. The cd is receiving lots of radio attention. The guy can also be seen playing all around town as well. Muzak is even playing the music from the cd on their network! Not a bad accomplishment.

Joseph Diamond's NOT YOUR TYPICAL NEW YORKER is the end result of a collaboration between the smooth jazz format that has taken the country by storm over the last decade, and Latin jazz. Joseph manages to keep the repertoire interesting and fresh with the help of guys like Vince Cherico (drums) and Leo Traversa (bass), two guys with lots of experience when it comes to Latin jazz.

If you haven't already given NOT YOUR TYPICAL NEW YORKER a listen get over to http://www.josephdiamond.com and check it out. You can also visit your favorite record shop and ask for it.



Ralph Irizarry & Timbalaye
Best Kept Secret
(Shanachie 66026)

Well, I guess your secret would not be safe with Ralph. It would be kind of hard for the simple reason that the man just happens to be one of everybody's favorite percussionists. He has come a long way to get to where he is today, and that is on top of his game.

Ralph's musical journey has prepared him well. There have been long stints with Ray Barretto and Ruben Blades' Seis del Solar, not to mention a whole slew of other gigs with just about every major Latin artist of his time sandwiched in-between Ray and Ruben. The education he has received as a result has enabled him to forge ahead to the next plateau, the realm of Latin jazz.

Timbalaye is comprised of guys just like Ralph, who have paid their dues and are ready, willing and able to fill the void that exists today when it comes to Latin jazz. Ralph and his cohorts come well prepared to deal with the best of them. They did it in the past for free most of the time just to prove it. Is Ralph Irizarry & Timbalaye the BEST KEPT SECRET or not? Well, judging by what the critics are saying they are all that and more. Ralph and company have indeed put together a very tight-knit production that swings when it has to, and soothes when it has to. A special guest appearance from conga wizard Giovanni Hidalgo makes this "secret" extra special.

Now that the "secret" is out, everybody can judge for themselves. Make sure to put this one on your "want" list. You wouldn't want everyone around you keeping this "secret" from you!



Bobby Sanabria
Afro-Cuban Dream - Live & In Clave!!!
(Arabesque AJ0149)

This is without a doubt one of the year's best efforts. Bobby has put together one of the tightest big bands around and took to the stage. As the title states, this is a "live" recording.

Bobby directs the band through the full spectrum of what Afro-Cuban jazz is. There's a little bit of everything on this release. To borrow a phrase from Bobby, "the music is rhythmically righteous and swings like hell!" The cast for this date includes a who's who from the "new" world of Latin Jazz. Guys like Michael Philip Mossman (trumpet), John Walsh (trumpet), Gene Jefferson (alto sax), John Stubblefield (tenor sax), Candido Camero (congas), and Bobby will most definitely see to it that the music remains "rhythmically righteous" with lots of swing! After all, the baton has been passed on by the masters of yester-years.

Afro-Cuban Dream - Live & In Clave!!! Listen to it, dance to it, do whatever your heart desires, only make sure to pick this one up!!! I'm sure you won't be disappointed...BTW the first reader to decipher the morse code in the horn line, after the drum solo on track two, that e-mails us will win a prize. So pick up the cd if you haven't already done so, and get in the game. At Salsaweb.com our educated readers are simply the best.


- George Rivera


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