Charlie Sepulveda: Algo Nuestro – “Our Thing”

© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.

A friend recently hipped the editorial staff at JazzProfiles to this 1992 recording by trumpeter Charlie Sepulveda’s which, much to our delight, contains an excellent version of one of our favorite Eddie Palmieri tunes – Puerto Rico.

“On Algo Nuestro, trumpeter Charlie Sepulveda leads a sextet that includes the up and coming tenor saxophonist David Sanchez, pianist Edward Simon, bassist Andy Gonzalez, Adam Cruz on drums, and Richie Flores on congas and bongos, with a few guest percussionists and bassists; trombonist Steve Turre sits in on Eddie Palmieri's "Puerto Rico."

The music is post-bop jazz with a strong dose of Latin and Puerto Rican rhythms. The solos of Sepluveda and Sanchez are consistently passionate, while Simon shows a great deal of potential during his spots. The band is quite strong on the nine obscurities (six of which come from Sepulveda, Sanchez, or Simon), making this a CD well worth searching for.” ~ Scott Yanow

Down Beat (6/93, p. 42) - 4.5 Stars - Very Good Plus - "... [Sepulveda] plays hard-bop with passion and grace. His second solo album, more focused than its predecessor, glows with energy and ensemble empathy. Sepulveda's fat, creamy tone crackles with bluesy intensity..." Musician (2/93, p. 94) - "... a delightful follow-up to his popular maiden voyage for Antilles, more fully thought out and developed, with greater play given to the ensemble and individual soloists... "

Sometimes, it's fun to just listen to the music and groove to it.