Tolu: Explosive Mix of Jazz, Latin Rhythms

What passes for Latin jazz is often a shaky compromise between two different forms of musical expression. In the process, important elements of each--usually associated with rhythm--can easily become diluted.

The group Tolu--led by saxophonist Justo Almario and drummer Alex Acun~a--is one of the rare ensembles that manages to establish a connection between jazz and Latin rhythms that ignites the energy in each. Their performance Tuesday at Catalina Bar & Grill, in the opening set of a too-brief two-night run, was a stirring example of how well that connection works when the band is at its explosive best.

Tolu’s music revealed a recognition of an essential difference between jazz and Latin music--the reliance upon a metric time-keeping bass in jazz, and the use of the clave (a subtly repeated rhythmic phrase) as the organizing foundation for multiple layers of rhythm in Latin music.

Acun~a, leading a four-man percussion section, combined the two, maintaining the metric, forward movement of jazz within the framework of a marvelously complex tapestry of rhythm, its surge driven by the power of John Pena’s floating bass lines.

The three-man horn section, playing several surprisingly complex arrangements--including a danzon version of Charlie Parker’s “Donna Lee,” a variation on Bill Evans’ “Five” and a theme song in the disjunct meter of 14/8--drove the music with the force of a much larger ensemble. And Almario’s soloing, on alto and tenor saxophones as well as clarinet (which he featured in a lovely rendering of the traditional-styled “Cumbiamba”), was consistently creative, consistently eager to stretch the boundaries of his improvisational world.

In an evening in which Latin and jazz came together into a genuinely meaningful phrase, the only mystery was why this superb band has not yet achieved higher visibility. At a time when the importance of Latin music is being trumpeted in all the music trade publications, Tolu clearly has all the attributes to become a valuable acquisition for a major record label.