JAZZ REVIEW : Lopez Leads a Grand Party at Wadsworth

“Cachao--Live!” at the Wadsworth Theater on Monday was a grand and glorious celebration of Cuban music, featuring bassist and composer Israel (Cachao) Lopez leading a 16-piece-plus ensemble through a virtually nonstop evening descarga (jam session).

In town for a series of recording sessions, the 74-year-old Lopez--one of the important pioneers of Afro-Cuban jazz and considered by many to be the originator of dancehall mambo--agreed to participate in the hastily organized concert. Despite the last-minute preparations and occasional audio glitches, the program was a smashing success.

Among the many superb musicians were the puckish vocalist Rolando Laserie, trumpeter Alfredo (Chocolate) Armenteros, tenor saxophonist Justo Almario and flutists Nestor Torres and Art Webb. Branford Marsalis, playing alto saxophone, made an early surprise guest appearance, staying on for the balance of the evening to jam with the ensemble.

Lopez’s style of play, in which he kicked off each piece by laying down a rhythmic outline, was strikingly reminiscent of Charles Mingus. Like Mingus, he was both cheerleader and instant composer, shaping the largely improvisational music at the moment of performance, and constantly energizing his players with shouts and gestures.

It was an impressive display of leadership, one that fueled a splendid demonstration of the rich rhythmic complexity and emotional expansiveness of Cuban music.