Los Jazz Vatos
(Vague Ideas) There doesn’t seem to be much that drummer Ernie Durawa hasn’t done in a prolific musical career that dates back to the late Fifties. While he’s never found a beat he couldn’t groove to, Durawa has always held a special passion for jazz, one that’s been actualized in recent years through his creation of Los Jazz Vatos. A cookin’, no-nonsense sextet with a distinctly Latin bent, this terrific debut is the culmination of the band’s decadelong history. Through shifting personnel, Durawa has always anchored the band, and as sole percussionist on this date, his rhythmic agility propels Los Vatos almost effortlessly through the changes. Trombonist Freddie Mendoza, a veteran of the local jazz scene and leader of the Southwest Texas State University Jazz Orchestra(s), is the pivotal figure on this set. His strong blowing aside, Mendoza arranges all the material on a session full of diverse and well-chosen cover tunes that range from Paquito D’Rivera’s “Chucho” and Jobim’s “Agua de Beber” to Horace Silver’s “Peace” and Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing.” The best tune on the album, however, and one of the hippest to come down the pike in quite a while is the only original, Mendoza’s sultry “Chica Loca,” driven by Durawa’s slippery rhumboogie beat and a killer horn arrangement. Saxophonist Steven Vague shines on “My Favorite Things,” while trumpeter Jimmy Shortell, pianist Terry Bowness (whose own CD is forthcoming), bassist Brad Taylor, and special guest guitarist Russ Scanlon, all contribute to the outing. With this sterling debut, Los Jazz Vatos thus far have the inside track for local jazz album of the year. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take another 10 years to hear from them again.
This article appears in May 23 • 2003.