The Bronx Horns - Silver in the Bronx (1998)

Another signpost in the steadily growing awareness of the value of Horace Silver's tune catalog, an octet of Latin-jazz-minded New Yorkers take on ten Silver songs with style and a certain amount of fire. Many of the precisely arranged tunes are naturally cut out for the salsa treatment, though a few such as "The Preacher" have to be shoehorned somewhat awkwardly into the Latin groove. The horns -- all of whom are stalwart members of the Tito Puente band -- are leader Mitch Frohman (tenor, flute), Bobby Porcelli (alto) and Ray Vega (trumpet, flugelhorn), hard-nosed boppers who all have cogent stories to tell in their solos. The ensemble is a classic eight-piece salsa band, with the capable Oscar Hernandez on piano, Bernie Minoso on bass, and Johnny Rodriguez, Jimmy Delgado and Wilson "Chembo" Corniel as the mostly medium-flamed percussion team. Good stuff, though not electrifying.

Review by Richard S. Ginell