RALPHY IRIZARRY & TIMBLAYE
Best Kept Secret (Shanachie)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

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This is some very sweet Latin jazz, my friends. Timbale player Ralph Irizarry leads his cohorts through nine tunes rich in rhythms and spice. Best Kept Secret is the follow-up to their self-titled debut. Recorded after a year of hard touring, it presents a band that is phenomenally tight and polished. There aren't any rough edges, which will be seen as a good thing by some and a bad thing by others. I, personally, like a few burrs in my Latin music, but there's no denying the beauty of this music or the supreme skill of the performance. There is also power to spare, especially in "Mission Accomplished," a tune that is perfect in every way, from the thick bass sound of Waldo Chavez to exciting percussion work by Irizarry and Roberto Quintero. After spending a decade with Ruben Blades, Irizarry certainly knows his craft. He and his mates say they're taking Latin music to the next level. I say they're definitely elevating one side of the genre. According to Irizarry, at least by the time this album was being released, the band still hadn't had a three-night stand at any of the major jazz clubs (a traditional sign of popular success). That's bound to change now that the secret's out.

© 2000 - DJ Johnson