Hi a new review for last Grupo Esperanza's CD on air in the next few
days on RADIOVINILEMANIA in Italy:

http://www.vinilemania.net/vGRUPOESPERANZA.htm

Ciao ciao Pietro

Courtesy: http://www.thephoenix.com

By: SAM PFEIFLE

7/12/2006 4:47:09 PM


When one day I'm bitten by some kind of radioactive bug and attain
super powers, I'd like Grupo Esperanza's "Spacism" to be my theme
song. Like many of the Afro-Cuban orchestra's tunes, it opens with
the 1-2, 1-2-3 rhythm of salsa's signature percussion instrument,
the clave, played by Adam Montminy, but Stephanie Reed's piano is
different for its '70s reverb and the result is a charging, Latin,
acid jazz that's like Spider-Man making a guest appearance on
Starsky and Hutch. The climax comes with Joe Parra's alto sax break,
full of squeaks and squonks, sitting on top of the bass and
percussion like gunshots on a hot summer night.
The piece is just one of many outstanding moments on Grupo
Esperanza's debut studio full-length, Bread & Butter, a follow-up to
their live album released last year. There is great rhythm on this
disc in more ways than one. Sure, the band display the drive and
swagger that has made them the undeniable favorite of the dance-
party set, but the true accomplishment of this work is the variation
and thought that has been put into song choice, position, and
arrangement.

Right out of the gate, "Bug Juice (Alien Disaster)," one of four
pieces written by Reed, casts aside any doubt that this band can
rip. It opens, appropriately, with Reed's piano, which quickly takes
a subliminal role while the horns snap and pop with staccato flares.
If you're not a huge Latin fan, and I'll admit I'm not, the thing
that gets you about the music right away is the rhythms and time
signatures. The percussion is just not like anything you'll hear in
the rock, 4/4 canon. Plus, it's absurdly danceable. If you're just
nodding your head to this, you're taking that indie-rock aesthetic
entirely too far.

Late in the song, a great sax break is interrupted by a collection
of horns butting in with four-beat runs, followed by the slightest
break for a percussion solo, then returning to the beginning piano
focus. Again, for the uninitiated, accustomed to the piano as a
melodic instrument, the keyboard runs might get a little grating,
but its important to see the instrument here as part of the rhythm
section, letting the horns do the melodic work and letting them
embrace the verse/chorus structure.

Later Reed compositions get more sing-song and melodic. The title
track, especially, like a children's song set to Latin rhythm, has a
saucy pop to it (and is a little reminiscent of the Family Ties
theme song). Until, that is, it moves into double time for the
second half, which really burns, punctuated by a great alto sax
break that shows an understanding of the dynamics of a good solo,
interspersing hot and fast runs with languid notes that stretch and
pull. The other songwriter of the group is Rah Hergenhan, who mans
the timbales. "Spacism" is his, and so is the defining moment of the
album, the opening to "La Fria," a cool subdued percussion solo,
joined by a deep and resonant horn/piano mix. Dark and moody, it's a
significant change-up for the album, keeping it from being overly
repetitive with the upbeat dance numbers, and demonstrates range
that makes the second half of the disc full of anticipation. When
the tune moves into a manic and crazed jazz number, straight off
Miles Davis's Sketches of Spain, featuring a sax wail and slick
percussion break, it's like a bucket of water in the face.

As for songs not their own, tunes by Perez Prado and Israel "Cachao"
Lopez are well done and feature the only vocals you'll find on the
album, all done in a well-harmonized chorus. But it's the
Rachmaninov "Prelude" that's the inspired choice. I'll allow that
some will find it gimmicky, but I'm totally on board (just like with
Megan Jo Wilson and her Tears for Fears — and you don't have to pay
publishing rights for Rachmaninov). It puts the talented Reed on
display early, playing fairly straight-up, and then alters the
rhythm and switches into a Latin take (obviously). It's like
classical with the hiccups. But it reaches a second level when the
horns come in, house afire. Reed's straight finish provides a fine
bookend.

What all of this adds up to is a statement of ownership by a
talented gang of 10. It could be nothing more than homage and still
be positively received by a certain portion of the audience starved
for anything not 100 percent all-American. But the seamless
incorporation of jazz elements, especially, speak of a band who are
merely using a genre for their purposes, who didn't simply decide to
play salsa on a lark, or simply to be unique, but who can't imagine
playing anything else.

Email the author
Sam Pfeifle: sam_pfeifle@...