Featured Artist: Hubert Laws

CD Title: Baila Cinderella

Year: 2002

Record Label: Scepterstein Records

Style: Latin Jazz / Latin Funk

Review: Flutist Hubert Laws, member of the Mongo Santamaria band in the 1960's, is back to his Latin roots with a CD of Latin jazz. Baila Cinderella is a CD of songs that Mongo Santamaria recorded in the 60's and recently by Poncho Sanchez. In Baila Cinderella, Laws shows why he was named the top flutist by readers of Downbeat for ten years and by jazz critics for seven years.

Released on his own Cepterstein Records label, Laws brings the feeling and passion of Latin America on Baila Cinderella. He not only performs on flute and piccolo, Laws also wrote all but one of the tracks. A Latin flavored version of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake is the only track that Laws didn't write, even though he has performed in the classical mode as well throughout his career.

The one thing I like about Baila Cinderella is that Hubert Laws keeps the arrangements simple and uses only himself, bass, keyboards, drums and percussion. I have always been a fan of smaller groups to make the music more personal to the listener. Laws does it here with his simply stated songs that have backbone. A person who has shied away from Latin jazz will like Baila Cinderella because it gives the feeling and passion of Latin jazz in a clean and clear package.

Baila Cinderella is a dream come true for Laws. I hope there will be more to come.

Artist's Website: http://www.hubertlaws.com

Reviewed by: Norm Breest

Click here for printer-friendly version of review.

Send this page to a friend.