Tribute to the Masters
Percussionist John Santos and his Machete Ensemble have won a devoted following in their native San Francisco Bay Area and among Latin-jazz aficionados the world over with their wide-ranging excursions into Afro-Caribbean music.Tribute to the Mastersfinds Santos and company paying tribute to individual icons likeJohn Coltrane("Syeeda's Song Flute"),Dizzy Gillespie("Salt Peanuts"), andMiles Davis("So What") as well as to various Afro-Cuban religious music and to different Latin styles in general. Aside from a musical career that includes work with Gillespie,Eddie Palmeiri,Tito Puente, andFrancisco Aguabella, Santos has long been known for his scholarly contributions to the field of Afro-Latin music as a writer and historian. In that sense,Tribute to the Mastersis a kind of historical survey of Latin music and a natural for Santos. The beauty of the disc, though, is that he and his breathtaking ensemble--which includes legendary guest musicians like bassist Israel "Cachao" Lopez and timbale player Orestes Villato--breathe life into homages to Afro-Cuban Santeria saints ("Chango" and "Iyesa") and fiery Latin-jazz workouts like "Moose the Mooche."--Ezra Gale