JAZZ REVIEW : Bongo Logic Steps to the Front of the Conga Line

Bongo Logic’s claim that it’s the first U.S. band to fuse the Cuban charanga style with jazz and funk may be stretching things. But it’s no stretch to say that the seven-piece ensemble, which appeared in the courtyard of the San Juan Capistrano Regional Library on Saturday, has a sound that’s easily distinguished from most Latin-influenced bands on the scene.

Part of that difference is due to the band’s international flavor. With members hailing from Hollywood, Carson, Chicago, Cuba, Puerto Rico (via Brooklyn), Colombia and Venezuela, the group reflects a diversity in its makeup as well as in its material.

Led by drummer Brett Gollin, Bongo Logic’s first set varied originals written by violinist Harry Scorzo with arrangements of jazz standards that reflected the band’s Caribbean rhythmic focus. Flutist Dick Mitchell teamed with Scorzo to give the sound a sharp, yet light-on-its-feet feel, while a percussive whirlwind from Gollin, conguero Machito Sanchez and Bobby Molina, who played the guiro (a hollowed, notched gourd scratched with a stick) kept the rhythms spinning.

Sanchez established himself as an out-of-the-ordinary conga player from the start. His tonal effects on “Aragones,” in response to Scorzo’s violin lines, added color as well as offbeat rhythmic phrasing. The violinist soloed with melodic purpose on his blue instrument, then sharpened his attack with pointed, pizzicato statements. The tune’s upbeat theme was tightly delivered in unison between Mitchell, Scorzo and keyboardist Otmaro Ruiz.

From there, the band moved into an up-tempo arrangement of Thelonious Monk’s “Straight, No Chaser.” Scorzo soloed in long lines varied with up-register exclamations, while Mitchell worked lyrically within a narrow range. Ruiz took a turn that featured running chords that climbed stairstep-like before electric bassist Guillhermo Guzman soloed with bottomed-out rumble and clean, snappy pops. Sometime during the riotous percussion break, that built on Molina’s sizzling ratchet, a train whistle sounded in the distance, bringing unexpected color to an already colorful presentation.

The tempo slowed a notch with Scorzo’s cha-cha -paced “Plain as Day,” a tune that took advantage of the warm flute-violin blend. Ruiz, utilizing a straight piano sound from his electronic keyboard, showed some early Herbie Hancock styling on “Bongolicious,” then, with glossy synthesizer tones, took the lead on Scorzo’s ballad, “Eddie, My Love.”

After a strong bit of conga play from Sanchez, the group moved into the Miles Davis, Victor Feldman piece, “Seven Steps to Heaven.” Gollin spiced the tune’s familiar percussion breaks with double-times on wood blocks and cow bells, before Guzman set a solid power-walk for solos from Scorzo and Ruiz. The tune closed with an involved percussion jam on its repeated three-note line.

Some may have been disappointed that Bongo Logic’s front-line soloists didn’t play to the crowd with over-dramatic improvisational styles, or rely on high-end antics rather than lyrical smarts to generate some excitement. But that fact emphasized the cooperative nature of the group, its greatest strength, rather than the virtuosity of its individual members. Even if it’s not the first band in the country to employ charanga in its material, Bongo Logic is one of the best.

The group’s set was preceded by a pair of Andean folk tunes from an ensemble, whose members ranged from adults to a preschool percussionist, instructed at the library by Huayacultia’s Hernan Pinnilla. The competent performance, echoing with pan pipes and South American rhythm makers, served as a pleasant prelude.