Nettai Tropical Jazz Big Band - My Favorite (2000)

This Japanese based 20 piece orchestra plays it to the hilt in mostly latin styles, but pop, jazz and funk music influences creep in. Leader/percussionist Carlos Kanno shows a certain dynamism in his direction of the group. As they continue to develop a repertoire, they show great expertise in assimilating their heroes, and their original Afro-Cuban tunes show much promise. While solos are not riveting they are consistently quite good and don't overstate their case. The best pieces are the urgent instrumentals as the decent mambo "Epoca De Oro," the Puerto Rican based, flute and muted trumpet informed "Bitter Sweet Bomba," good 6/8 groove of "Ruinas," and the hot piano montuno setting off the crackling horns and bubbling percussion of "Prende El Fuego." Mixing genres there's the punchy stacatto, salsa to swing melody of "My Favorite Things," and a peculiar sped up rhythm but slowed line of the well known "Sing, Sing, Sing" replete with hokey female vocals. "Por Que No?" is an easy latinish to light rocker with a flugelhorn section and Taisei Aoki on the pianica/melodica, sounds as if a breezy harmonica. On the pop side there's the straight r & b funk number "Got To Be Real," rather neat latin funk treatment of "I Can't Stop Loving You," and Kanno singing as Steve Lawrence in English lyrics for "Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White." The zinger is Randy Brecker's definitive skunk funker "Rocks," resplendant in horn saturated counterpoint on the bridge, a very good re-creation. Nettai gets better with age, and as they grow more towards individualism they will bring more meat and juice to the table. -- Michael G. Nastos