Alto Saxophonist Richie Cole
Heads South of the Border for Inspiration on
"Latin Lover,"
Due Oct. 20 on His RCP Imprint
(Richie Cole Presents)
Acclaimed Torchbearer of Hard Bop
Presents Eclectic Latin Jazz Program with
Inventive Versions of Songs from Broadway & Hollywood
As Well as Pop Hits & Originals
October 3, 2017
 Alto saxophonist Richie Cole
has covered a lot of stylistic ground since he left the Berklee School
of Music in 1969 to join the Buddy Rich Band at age 21. Long known as a
torchbearer for bebop, Cole started referring to his style of playing as
"Alto Madness" in the 1970s, and that has been his motto ever since.
In the course of a prolific career fast approaching the
half-century mark, Cole has included Latin jazz tunes on many
recordings, but surprisingly -- given his affinity for that style -- has
never devoted an entire album to Latin jazz. Cole has now remedied that
oversight with Latin Lover, his new album for Richie Cole Presents, which will be released on October 20.
What's not surprising is the highly original stamp Cole
places on arrangements and repertoire throughout. He's put together a
wonderful and witty program of music that, in addition to four of his
own compositions (including a reprise of "Island Breeze" from his classic 1978 outing Alto Madness), features versions of the traditional Mexican children's song "Cielito Lindo," a Mariachi band staple today; "Lonely Bull," a smash hit for Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in 1962; Great American Songbook classics "Almost Like Being in Love" and "Harlem Nocturne"; and unexpected items such as "If I Only Had a Brain" from The Wizard of Oz, arranged as a samba, and Neil Sedaka's 1974 pop hit, "Laughter in the Rain."
"I've always had a passion for Latin music and Latin-flavored
embellishments, so it was time," Cole explains, though in keeping with
his sense of humor he admits the album's title is ironic. "I doubt
anyone would consider me a Valentino-type Lothario," he quips. As for
some of the unconventional song choices on the new album, they share a
common denominator: "What matters is that these tunes have great melodies and I can swing my ass off on them."
As a teenager, Cole played in Machito's big
band for two summers at the Concord Hotel, a famed resort in New York's
Catskill Mountains. "Playing with Machito was my first real exposure to
this music," he recalls. "I was kind of lost at first. The bassist never
played on the one and that took a lot of getting used to. But
eventually I got it. It was a great learning experience."
Cole has played plenty of Latin jazz since cutting his teeth with Machito, including in an all-star festival band with Tito Puente alongside Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz.
Coming of age on the East Coast, he was exposed to all manner of Latin
sounds and has also toured Mexico numerous times (his son-in-law is from
there), most recently with veteran trumpeter Luis Gasca.
Bassist and producer Mark Perna is one of
the "angels" who have been instrumental in facilitating Cole's artistic
output since the saxophonist moved to Pittsburgh in 2014. "We really put
a lot of thought into how to follow Richie's ballads album," Perna
says, referring to last year's well-received Richie Cole Plays Ballads & Love Songs.
Perna reassembled the simpatico cast from the Ballads album -- guitarist Eric Susoeff,
who's worked with artists ranging from Dizzy Gillespie to Ivan Lins,
and whose primary focus is his Latin Jazz quintet Salsamba, founded in
1984; versatile drummer Vince Taglieri, whose extensive
experience includes work with big bands, theater productions, and jazz
artists such as Bobby Shew and Sean Jones; and Perna himself, a veteran
musician who's recorded six albums under his own leadership and has
worked with Don Aliquo, Emily Remler, and Ron Affif, among many others
-- with the addition of pianist Kevin Moore, a Berklee alum whose musical travels have taken him to 60 countries and back to his native Pittsburgh.
"The songs on Latin Lover aren't heavily arranged," says Perna, "but they're very much tailored to Richie. He's really one of a kind."
Richie Cole
was born on Leap Day in 1948 in Trenton, NJ. His father, a big band
enthusiast, ran the Harlem Club, a local jazz joint, and the Las
Vegas-style showroom, Hubby's Inn. Cole was 10 when he started playing
the saxophone. At 16, he attended a music camp directed by alto legend Phil Woods before heading for Boston's Berklee School of Music on a full scholarship from DownBeat magazine.
Photography: Aaron Jackendoff
 
Media Contact:
| |
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
USA: Alto Saxophonist Richie Cole's "Latin Lover" Due October 20
