You Are #6
One of the few constants in the ever-evolving world of the eclectic clarinetist Don Byron is his pioneering group,Music for Six Musicians. Since the mid-'90s they have navigated the musical waters of New York and Latin America with ease. This CD, their second as a unit, features the pioneering Byron with the latest edition of the ensemble, featuring the elegant trumpeterJames Zollarfrom the Ellington Orchestra, Puerto Rican pianist Edsel Gomez, bassist Leo Traversa, drummer Ben Wittman, and mastercongueroMilton Cardona. Byron and his crew are augmented by horns, guitars, and vocals as they deliver their Big Apple-seasoned, Pan-Caribbean-pulsed take on jazz. With the clarinetist's full-bodied tones leading the way, they put a new Santeria-syncopated spin on Henry Mancini's "Theme fromHatari," and provide the right Afro-Cuban clave touches on the title track, "You Are #6," and the rumba workout "Whisper in My Ear (for Mario Bauza)." "Klang" and "Belmondo's Lip"--which also features an ambient trip-hop remix byDJ Spooky--bounce with a snappy jazz-and-samba swing. Byron's bass-playing father, Don Sr., steals the show and lays down a mean West Indian groove on the calypso classic, "Shake 'Em Up." Save for the chamber-like selection, "No Whine," a haunting piano-clarinet duo, Don Byron's stateside take on the Latin tinge reveals one more layer to his magnificent and multifaceted musical outlook.--Eugene Holley Jr.