Super Son

Despite the name of Cuban trombonist Torres’ band (‘Something New’), 50 years later these 1977 cuts can’t help but sound notably, even comically dated, with buzz-saw fuzz guitar, tinkling keys and half-hearted electronic effects. All the same, distance lends charm to its rather self-consciously experimental attitude, and there are some quite admirable aspects – most notably the disciplined brass section and the bandleader’s rich-toned and melodic trombone improvisations. A lot of Latin jazz, tied to a relentless cycle of interlocking yet inexorable rhythms, seems less happy than Brazilian-based jazz with its limber, more forgiving groove suiting the relaxed phrasing and slide-slip nature of North American jazz lines and harmonies, and this is no exception. Indeed, like a lot of the jazz-funk that seemingly inspired it, it’s too clever by half – a besetting sin of Cuban jazz in particular (Torres later became a member of Irakere, a case in point). Even the enjoyably sly ‘Si No Fuera Por Emiliana’, harking back to much earlier Cuban styles, is somehow faintly over-egged. Very much a creature of its time, this feels more like a release that will be invaluable to music historians and creative DJs, but of less interest to the average listener.