"The powerful and challenging California-born sax virtuoso David Murray was heralded in the 1970s as an heir to the searing free-jazz icon Albert Ayler, then developed into the most eclectically receptive of world-musicians, making all-out improv and accessibly rootsy jazz and blues coexist in the most natural-sounding ways. But even by Murray's open standards, this is an unusual venture: he sets his broad-chested sax sound alongside the rasping Argentinian tango vocalist and arranger Daniel Melingo and Cuba's Sinfonieta of Sines ensemble, to reprise Nat King Cole's Latin America recordings, made in Spanish and Portuguese in 1958 and 1961. It's a warm and very mellifluous album for Murray. These swaying songs glow with knowing life: the vivacious arrangements for strings and horns buoy up Murray's rich tenor sound, operating in a smoky Ben Websterish manner, without swamping it. It's pretty smooth, of course, but Murray's superb slow solo on No Me Platiques – easing from rich long notes to quietly squally double-time – delivers enough jazz surprises for the whole album inside eight minutes."
John Fordham guardian.co.uk
http://www.motema.com
