Diego Urcola

Viva

(Cam Jazz)

Record Review by Adam McKibbin

Grammy nominee Diego Urcola utterly avoids the sophomore slump on Viva, an album that seemed destined to succeed from the planning stages; how can you go wrong when your “dream band” materializes in the studio with you?  This is what happened for Urcola, who first made his name as a long-tenured trumpeter for Paquito D’Rivera.  The mentor returns the favor on Viva, joining the dream band as a “special guest” alongside Jimmy Heath (tenor sax), Conrad Herwig (trombone), and Dave Samuels (marimba/vibes).

Urcola’s original compositions are the highlights of the album (if only the same could be said about every album!)  Viva begins with his “Tango Azul,” which, as its title suggests, weaves a sexy tango influence through the smoky jazz foundation.  He trades the trumpet for the flugelhorn on “40/40,” another standout that highlights the interplay between Urcola and D’Rivera.  Viva is an album—like its predecessor, 2003’s Soundances—that perfectly toes the line between structure and spontaneity, resulting in songs that sound spry and free, but also thoughtful and well-structured.

The one Urcola original that doesn’t work is “Emilia,” the closing track that too prominently features the ga-ga-giggling of the trumpeter’s one-year-old daughter.  The music is a soft and quite sweet counterpoint to the swinging that has come before, but, let’s face it, the only baby most people want to hear gurgle on repeat is their own.

The band was picked for personal reasons—Urcola had played with all of them, in one circumstance or another—and the choices for outside material follow suit.  Urcola leans toward fellow Argentineans, choosing two songs apiece from Juan Raffo and Guillermo Klein, as well as Astor Piazzolla’s “Adios Nonino.”  The playfulness shown on the originals is extended to the interpretations, evoking genre giants like Miles Davis while always giving a twist of South American flair.  Hopefully the Grammy committee has kept Urcola’s contact information handy.