Museum Halls Echo With a Latin Beat

Give the Da Camera Society credit. The organization’s Chamber Music in Historic Sites programs craftily combine the right performer with the right venue, often in fascinating locations unfamiliar to many Angelenos.

On Sunday afternoon the series offered yet another excellent artist-and-site alliance in the presentation of the Fred Ramirez Latin Jazz Sextet at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach.

The Los Angeles-born Ramirez, who moves fluently between piano and vibes, is a veteran of performances with, among others, Poncho Sanchez, Willie Bobo, Eddie Cano and Tito Puente. Inspired by Cal Tjader, he places his vibes as the primary voice in an ensemble that includes a three-man horn section, bass and two percussionists.

Ramirez’s arrangements and compositions, which included selections from his album “A Tribute to Legends of Latin Jazz” as well as pieces by Tjader and Cano, generally hewed close to the Afro-Cuban and mambo rhythms often favored by jazz artists. Plenty of open space was available for soloing by Ramirez, the horn players--trumpeter John LeFebvre, trombonist Fred Morgan and saxophonist-flutist David Victorino--and bassist Paul Perez. A climactic closing number showcased conga artist Juan “Long John” Oliva and timbalero Celso Campillo.

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Unfortunately, despite the historical appeal of the still unfinished area of the museum where the program was held (a room that was once a stage for films by Fatty Arbuckle, Buster Keaton and others), the acoustics left much to be desired. Ramirez’s piano was virtually inaudible amid the echoing sounds of the percussion, and the ensemble rarely managed to attain a cohesive sound. Nor was the program aided by what appeared to be onstage confusion over transitional passages and endings.

Still, Ramirez is a considerable talent, and in the relatively rare instances in which everything came together, his diverse music provided an appropriate soundtrack for the museum’s colorful collection of art from Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean.