This is one of the best recordings by Jerry Gonzalez's Fort Apache Band of the 1990s. For this inspired live set, four of the six selections are over ten minutes long, with Thelonious Monk's "Let's Call This" topping 18 minutes. No matter, the talented musicians (Gonzalez on trumpet and congas, tenor man John Stubblefield, Joe Ford on alto and soprano, pianist Larry Willis, bassist Andy Gonzalez, and Steve Berrios on drums and percussion) never seem to run out of ideas. The music is more post-bop than it is Afro-Cuban jazz (particularly when the Miles Davis-inspired Gonzalez is on trumpet), but the solos are of high quality and it holds one's interest throughout. - Scott Yanow
Tracks
1. Isable, The Liberator (Larry Willis)
2. Elegua (Trad., Arr. Fort Apache)
3. Today's Nights (Joe Ford)
4. Verdad Amarga (Consuelo Velazquez)
5. Let's Call This (Thelonious Monk)
6. Ugly Beauty (Thelonious Monk)
JERRY GONZALEZ trumpet, flugelhorn, congas
JOHN STUBBLEFIELD tenor saxophone
LARRY WILLIS piano
STEVE BERRIOS drums, percussion
ANDY GONZALEZ bass
JOE FORD altosaxophone, soprano saxophone
Recorded February 2-4, 1996 live at Blues Alley, Washington, D.C.
Milestone – MCD 9258-2