Jazzreach
Featuring sizzling live music by New York’s Metta Quintet, captivating video projections, and live narration, Con Alma y Fuego (With Soul and Fire) captures the enticing origins and evolution of Latin jazz, highlighting the music of artists such as Machito, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Irakere. With its roots firmly steeped in the African-American experience, jazz musicians have always been creative, globetrotting explorers in search of new sounds, rhythms, harmonies and melodies as a means by which to expand their musical vocabularies and palettes of expression. “Latin Jazz” (as it’s commonly known) is, in effect, an approach to playing jazz that integrates traditionally American jazz forms, concepts and sensibilities with rhythms, harmonies, melodies and instruments from the African, Caribbean and Latin American musical traditions. How has the American experience and the sound of jazz been influenced, enhanced, expanded and refined by these rich, vibrant cultural heritages? Come find out.
“This is compelling music by highly gifted composers and Metta Quintet deserves praise for bringing it to light and playing it so well.”
— NYC Jazz Record