Papo Vázquez with the Mighty Pirates Troubadours – Chapter 10: Breaking Cover (Pícaro Records, 2020)
Trombonist, composer and arranger Papo Vázquez has released a superb album titled Chapter 10: Breaking Cover. Papo is a highly reputable trombonist in the straight ahead jazz and Latin Jazz world. On Chapter 10: Breaking Cover, Papo celebrates his Puerto Rican roots with a captivating set of songs grounded in Puerto Rican traditional genres like bomba, aguinaldo and plena. There is also mambo and Cuban rumba.
Although Latin Jazz is the foundation throughout the album, the irresistible rhythm section and spectacular trombone performances takes the music into danceable hard salsa territory.
The recording of Chapter 10: Breaking Cover was scheduled for April 2020, but the lockdown measures in the northeastern United States led the musicians to postpone the sessions. In June, when meetings of 25 people or less were permitted in his region, Papo and his colleagues rehearsed and recorded the album under social distancing guidelines.
The lineup on the album includes the Band of Mighty Pirates: Papo Vázquez on trombone, vocals, agogo bells and synthesizer; Iván Renta on tenor and soprano saxophone; Rick Germanson on piano; Ariel Robles on bass and chorus; Alvester Garnett on drums; Carlos Maldonado on barril de bomba (bomba barrel drum), congas, pandero de plena (plena frame drum), bongos, additional percussion and chorus; and Reinaldo DeJesús on barril de plena, congas, pandero de plena, additional percussion and chorus.
Guests: José Mangual Jr. on lead vocals, chorus and bongo; Sherman Irby on saxophone; Dezron Douglas on bass; Antonio Caraballo on guitar; and Antoine Drye on trumpet.
Buy Chapter 10: Breaking Cover
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.