Biography
The Latin Jazz Quintet followed an unusual trajectory marked by its brief existence and frequent personnel shifts. Today the ensemble is recognized chiefly for a pair of dates—one issued on New Jazz and a lesser-known United Artists session—that featured Eric Dolphy as guest soloist. On both occasions, most notably the New Jazz encounter, the adventurous reedman and the more traditional rhythm section operated independently, with neither side responding to or even acknowledging the other’s presence. Juan Amalbert, the group’s founding conga player, led the original lineup captured on that New Jazz date, which also included vibraphonist Charlie Simmons, pianist Gene Casey, bassist Bill Ellington, and Manny Ramos handling drums and timbales. The musicians skillfully blended bop lines with Afro-Cuban rhythms, occasionally evoking the sound of a typical Cal Tjader group; although never groundbreaking, the results remained consistently engaging. When the quintet recorded its second album, a TruSound release without Dolphy in late 1960, alto and flute guest Bobby Capers joined Amalbert and Ellington alongside vibraphonist Willie Coleman, pianist Jose Ricci, and Phil Newsom on drums and timbales. A 1961 New Jazz session featured Artie Jenkins at the piano, while subsequent dates—including a possible 1963 follow-up with Dolphy—saw complete turnover. Vibraphonists Bobby Blivens and Felipe Diaz, pianist Willie Gardner, bassist Bobby Rodriguez, and percussionists Victor Allende, Tommy Lopez, and Louis Ramirez each appeared on one or more of these later recordings. By the time of the second Dolphy album, even founding leader Amalbert had left the band. The Prestige CD Hot Sauce unites the ensemble’s second and third recordings.
Albums
