El Espiritu Jibaro

by Scott YanowThis spirited program, recorded over a four-year period, teams trombonist Roswell Rudd with the fluent cuatro player Yomo Toro (the cuatro is a four-string guitar) and a variety of musicians equally skilled at Afro-Cuban, modern mainstream and South American-flavored jazz, not to mention tangos. Rudd is the wild card, adding wit, flexible jazz phrasing and his musical personality to a diverse set of music. The rhythm sections (which on four songs include percussionist-drummer Bobby Sanabria) are full of power and effortless polyrhythms, there are occasional vocals, and the personnel and instrumentation change from cut to cut, holding one's interest throughout. Rudd's charming "Tango for Chris" is a high point.