Caribbean Jazz Project
Afro Bop Alliance
Heads Up (www.headsup.com)

Since founding the Caribbean Jazz Project in 1993, Dave Samuels (vibes, marimba) has overseen a collective featuring the considerable talents of Paquito d'Rivera, Dave Valentin, and Andy Narell. Now Samuels teams with the Maryland-based Afro Bop Alliance, resetting signature CJP numbers in revelatory big-band style. A major Samuels influence is Terry Gibbs, whose pioneering big-band vibes artistry resonates here; past work with the eclectic likes of Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, Oscar Peterson, Stan Getz, Bill Frisell, John Scofield, Pat Metheny, Spyro Gyra, the Yellowjackets, and Frank Zappa also shines through. Featured are five Samuels originals ("Rendevous," "Five for Elvin," "Picture Frame," "Birds of a Feather," and "Afro Green"), plus a suave interpretation of Coltrane's "Naima," a majestic take on Oliver Nelson's archetypal "Stolen Moments," a sweeping, angular read of Monk's "Bemsha Swing," and a sparkling revision of the Gillespie-Pozo chestnut "Soul Sauce" that recalls the best of Cal Tjader.-Michael Stone

The artists' web site: www.cubop.com

CD available from cdroots.com

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