Taste of Paquito

Not a greatest-hits album (like he was shooting for hits) nor a thoroughgoing anthology of Paquito D'Rivera's Columbia period (only the first five of his seven albums are covered), the word "taste" is an intriguing choice, though at 74 minutes the CD is a bit more than just a taste. But then, since Sony has done a real number on his catalog by not reissuing those first five albums, A Taste is all that CD buyers can sample from Paquito's first American recordings. Up to a point listeners receive a pretty good idea as to what the commotion was initially about, starting from the time two years after D'Rivera's defection from Cuba when he was primarily a joyous, shouting Latin bopper with a hot hand on the alto sax. The CD concentrates upon smaller-group sessions, leaving off at the point where Paquito was starting to incorporate larger groups and more eclectic wanderings into his music. Two of the more memorable tracks are the poignant "Song to My Son" (recorded when Paquito's wife and son were still left behind in Cuba) and the robust, Dizzy-inspired humor of "Just Kidding." Watch out for some booboos in the track credits, such as the listing of Hilton Ruiz on acoustic bass instead of piano on "Miami" and omitting mention of Toots Thielemans on "Brussels in the Rain," which was merely written for the Belgian harmonica virtuoso in the first place.