Jazz Review : Aguabella Leads a Full, Toe-Tapping Evening

Ask Latin jazz percussionists to list the players who have influenced them the most, and the name Francisco Aguabella will be near the top of every list. One of the first of the many great Cuban drummers who arrived in the United States in the 1950s, he has been a rich source of Afro-Cuban rhythms and a musical inspiration to drummers of every style for decades.

So the Southland is particularly fortunate to have this superb, veteran conguero leading an ensemble and performing regularly in the area. Which makes it hard to understand why his one-night engagement at Catalina Bar & Grill Tuesday was so poorly attended. Aguabella’s work continues to be a virtual encyclopedia of Latin percussion variations, and--even in what started out as a relatively low-key night--was a marvel to hear.

His set began somewhat uncertainly, however, when trombonist Isaac Smith, a vital member of the seven-piece ensemble, did not arrive until the final two numbers of the opening set. Although the group, propelled by Aguabella’s subtle but insistent rhythms, brought a colorful tropical perspective to standards such as “Yesterdays” and “Caravan,” the missing voice in the horn section’s ensemble harmonies left an obvious gap in the sound.

Trumpet player Nolan Shaheed and saxophonist Charles Owens valiantly tried to make the pieces work with their duo horn playing, and their extended soloing--especially Owens’ tours across the outer limits of his instrument--produced periodically exciting results. In the rhythm section, pianist Tom Rigi’s tumbao playing was filled with vigor, and bassist Luigi Malespin and drummer Warren “Nacho” Ontiveros teamed up with Aguabella to generate a complex but consistently foot-tapping flow of Afro-Cuban rhythms.

But the band didn’t fully come alive until Smith apologetically arrived on stage, immediately adding the needed fullness to the horn section. And his soloing, which is quickly establishing him as one of the most innovative young voices on his instrument, filled in the final missing musical piece. The result was an irresistible celebration of Latin jazz, energized by one of its great percussion masters.