JAZZ REVIEW : Santamaria: True to Roots

Mongo Santamaria, who was distilling Afro-Cuban sounds when that form of fusion was a brand new conversation piece, opened Tuesday with his band at Catalina’s.

The diminutive Havana-born maestro, almost buried behind his conga drums, is fielding essentially the same genre of jazz-inflected music that played a major role, during the 1960s, in the absorption of Latin rhythms into jazz, blues and soul.

The octet, composed of two saxophones, trumpet, piano, electric bass and three percussionists, depends heavily on its rhythmic components. The arrangements for horns (among them William Allen’s “Quiet Fire” and pianist Bob Quaranta’s “Home”) are no more sophisticated harmonically than they were two or three decades ago. The blend became less bland when the saxes switched to flutes and the capable trumpeter, Ray Vega, picked up his fluegelhorn.

The Brazilian elements that have overlapped at times with Afro-Cuban music play an all but inaudible role here. The occasional unison vocals, and the repeated figures by the percussion section, evoked memories of pre-Castro Cuba.

What interest the band generates is mainly provided by Eddie Rodriguez, equally nimble on bongos, cowbell and chekere , and by John Andreu, who plays drums and timbales. Except for a few blues touches in an alto solo by Bob Porcelli, the saxophones offered little individually in the way of originality or excitement.

Ironically, the most familiar and invigorating moments were provided in an encore, “Watermelon Man.” Herbie Hancock, who wrote and recorded it in 1962, has since moved far beyond the brand of Latin jazz this song typified; meanwhile, Santamaria and his men remain loyal to their early roots.

Through Sunday, Catalina’s will be Mambo City.