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HENRY MORA ORCHESTRA 'Round Midnight (Tropico Records)
L.A.-based trombonist Henry Mora, well known in the salsa scene, is at the lead of his own big band in his newly released 'Round Midnight. Mostly a collection of jazz and salsa standards, in exciting salsa with jazz harmonies, the CD is a danceable delight of high quality music.
The title cut, a tribute to Monk, is a brisk, danceable version of "'Round Midnight," in which a superb horn arrangement plays the melody. In "El Canto de El Pájaro," a spellbinding bolero with gorgeous changes, composed and arranged by associate producer Jim Quiroz, Mora plays the beautiful melody and solo on trombone.
Bertha Oropeza's passionate vocals add an R&B tinge to the jazz salsa in the standards "Lover Man," "Cry Me a River," and "Unforgettable." The salsa classic "El Menu," features vocalist Tito Quiles-Montañez, nephew of the legendary Andy Montañez, who first recorded and made famous the song. Another salsa classic, Eddie Palmieri's "Puerto Rico," is sung by Ruben Rodriguez. Pianist Sandy Stein offers an awesome tribute to Palmieri.
Mora's sophisticated arrangements feature dazzling horns on intros, moñas (vamp lines behind the solos), and mambos (similar to big bands' shout chorus), over infectious, irresistible rhythms. Bassist René Camacho and percussionist José "Papo" Rodriguez (timbales, congas and bongos) are the highly spirited masters behind such rhythms.
'Round Midnight will be enjoyable to any Latin jazz, jazz, or salsa fan.
Patricia Albela
HENRY MORA ORCHESTRA 'Round Midnight (Tropico Records)
With twenty-plus players performing throughout most of the scores, the Henry Mora Orchestra delivers a big band sound reminiscent of the powerhouse bands of the "Big Band Era" of the forties and fifties, under
the musical direction of trombonist Henry Mora (a native of El Paso,
Texas, transplanted to Los Angeles, California as a teen).The concept of the orchestra came to him in 1993 when he returned to college to complete his masters degree in music. Inspired by the orchestras of Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey and Duke Ellington, Mora incorporates elements of salsa and R&B music to a refreshing repertoire of popular music scores. The orchestra sounds cohesive and at home performing jazz vocal standards like Cry Me A River and Unforgettable (featuring the English-language vocals of Bertha Oropeza), as well as swinging to the clave beat of El Menú (a salsa classic composition made popular by El Gran Combo with Spanish vocals by Tito Quiles-Montañez). On the title cut, 'Round Midnight, the orchestra plays tribute to jazz legend Thelonious Monk with a salsa version of his classic composition.
My personal favorite is their rendition to the classic Eddie Palmieri composition Puerto Rico, with vocals by Rubén Rodríguez.
Rudy Mangual
HENRY MORA ORCHESTRA 'Round Midnight (Tropico Records)
"Trombonist Mora leads one of the West Coast's most explosive Latin big bands-an exciting throwback to the hallowed triumphs of Tito Puente, Mario Bauza, Chico O'Farrill, and other arrangers who knew how to blend jazz orchestrations and Afro-Cuban rhythms. Long form salsa-style arrangements of tunes like "Lover Man," with sensational vocalist Bertha Oropeza, and "Puerto Rico" radiate the driving energy and sophistication that can only be achieved by a well-tuned large ensemble."
Mark Holston
‘Round Midnight
Henry Mora Orchestra | Tropico
The West Coast’s Henry Mora Orchestra is a mambo-era dance type of big band with its own updates to such musical reliquaries in the arrangements, R&B vocal inflections, its manifest salsa influences and the contemporary expressions of the soloists. ‘Round Midnight, however, is a swinging danceable piñata with a mixed bag of candy. Not all tastes will be pleased with the styles of all seven performances, yet most listeners should be able to partake of the sweet and sour goodies and find something to their liking.One of the hot sweets is “El Menú”—one of many internationally beloved hits from the musical institution known as El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico. Tight, cheerful, swinging—yet relaxed—horn lines evoke the original’s characteristic melodious rhythmic-harmonic punch. This time, however, José “Papo” Rodríguez provides the percussive tightness. He used to be Poncho Sánchez's percussive right hand and knows how to play a concept rather than impose a personal style upon it, thus enriching the music in both obvious as well as subtle ways. Dave Victorino’s flute playing ought to be noted too. The orchestra is at its best on this one and, as they approach the coda led by Mora himself on trombone doing his best Moisés Nogueras impression, one can imagine a smiling Rafael Ithier eating up some gandules en escabeche.
The title cut is another entreaty. Its Spaniard undertones, before the initial brassed mambo, carry a classical big band tone. Afterwards, the band gets hotter on a montuno-laden jam whereupon both trumpet and tenor sax blow. The ensemble choruses are swinging, energetic, the band is tight and the percussionists—featuring a drum solo by Gloria Estefan’s trap drummer—have some fun with it too.
“Canto de el [sic.] pájaro” features the best trombone performance from the band’s leader and it’s the only original from the band in the disk. Its melodies remind one of classic Cuban boleros.
On the sour side: their rendition of “Puerto Rico,” from the latter part of Ismael Quintana’s historic run as Eddie Palmieri’s singer. The vocals are quite forgettable, a recurring trombone riff after the bridge before the trombone solo sounds quite gallego—or chitlin’ circuit, in jazzspeak. “Cry Me a River” is a toss-up. If you like salsa in English with R&B-laced stylistic overtones in its vocal phrasing and attack, this one does the job quite well with a swinging big band.
Many, however, don’t care for salsa in English, and the vocal improvisations don’t quite measure up to the best deliveries in Spanish. “Lover Man” starts rather abruptly—as if a portion of it was not included in the tape or signal transfer to the master and the alto solo could’ve used more cojones in its attack and delivery. In that regard, Charlie Biggs on trumpet outdid the saxophonist in that cut.
In this recording, however, the bottom line is danceable salsa/jazz with much spark and pizzazz.
~ Javier Antonio Quiñones Ortiz
HENRY MORA ORCHESTRA 'Round Midnight (Tropico Records)
Cantante: Henry Mora Orchestra - Album: Round Midnight
Data: 12/02/2004
Recensione: Henry Mora Orchestra ' Round Midnight ' Stupendo cd di Latin/Salsa magistralmente registrato negli studi BiggSounds di San Pedro ( Ca.-USA ). Magistralmente perche' questa e' una vera grande orchestra che si presenta con musicisti di grande spessore: 4 trombe, 4 tromboni, 5 saxs, piano, bass,congas, bongo, maracas...e registrare le grandi orchestre senza fenomeni di 'impastamento' dei vari strumenti non e'facile! La musica proposta è essenzialmente una 'mezcla' tra Latin Jazz e Salsa, un album di grande qualita' che soddisfera' i palati piu' esigenti degli amanti di questo genere. In discoteca alcuni brani possono essere utilizzati con soddisfazione specialmente a fine serata quando - solitamente - rimangono i 'bailadores' piu' affezionati e il dj si puo' sbizzarrire con proposte meno 'commerciali' . I brani 'Lover Man' , Round Midnight' e 'Unforgettable' si aprono in Latin per passare - dopo alcuni minuti - decisamente in salsa, 'corposa' salsa per grande orchestra. Troviamo poi la bella riproposizione in salsa moderna dello 'standard' 'El menu' composto da Perin Vazquez , mentre i rimanenti tre pezzi sono essenzialmente Latin. Segnalo in modo particolare 'Puerto Rico' composto dal grande Eddie Palmieri. Raffinato cd, raffinate le voci soliste, 'grandi' i componenti l'orchestra: che dire se non consigliarne l' acquisto per cui potrete rivolgervi direttamente a www.HenryMora.com o a 'cdbaby' sperando che presto questa bella produzione possa trovare spazio anche presso i Distributori Italiani. Total Time: 48'.
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Tout juste reçu de Los Angeles, le dernier album du Henry Mora Orchestra, intitulé Round Midnight. Un orchestre de Big Band au complet!, qui intérprète des classiques de jazz (Round Midnight, Cry Me A River) sur des rythmes latins, et des morceaux de salsa comme Puerto Rico de Eddie Palmieri, El Menu (rendu célèbre par El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico). Quand tous les instruments s'y mettent en meme temps, ça déménage, impossible de rester assis sur sa chaise! Les amateurs de salsa et jazz ne seront pas déçus! Une revue plus complète bientot...
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Titres de l'album 1. Lover Man, 2. El Menu, 3. Round Midnight, 4. Canto del Pajaro, 5. Cry Me A River, 6. Puerto rico, 7. Unforgettable
HENRY MORA ORCHESTRA 'Round Midnight (Tropico Records)
Seductive singer Bertha Oropeza handles the English vocals on such effective performances as "Lover Man," while Ruben Rodriguez steps up to the microphone for a scintillating version of Eddie Palmieri's "Puerto Rico." Throughout the program, Mora's extended mambo section vamps add orchestral interest to such standards as "Unforgettable" and the title track.
HENRY MORA ORCHESTRA 'Round Midnight (Tropico Records)
Up Tempo SALSA JAZZ release from big band Henry Mora Orchestra is a true gem for your collection. With great vocals by Tito Montanez, Bertha Oropeza, Henry Mora, Ruben Rodriguez to mention a few. This is a great dancing CD for the L.A. Style dancers especially. Great arrangements can be heard on here with nice instrumentals and also clever reprise of "El Menu." I particularly dig "ROUND MIDNIGHT." Well done to the HENRY MORA ORCHESTRA musicians.
