Mario Rivera R.I.P.

[rpklich]

I haven't seen much on the internet, but the yahoo groups Latin Jazz listerv has alot of postings about Mario Rivera's passing on 8/10. Mario was from the Dominican Republic. He played baritone sax on alot of salsa and latin jazz records. Damn good player.

[Eloe Omoe]

I haven't seen much on the internet, but the yahoo groups Latin Jazz listerv has alot of postings about Mario Rivera's passing on 8/10. Mario was from the Dominican Republic. He played baritone sax on alot of salsa and latin jazz records. Damn good player.

Saw him in the early Eighties with George Coleman's octet. A very good, player, indeed. :(

[Cyril]

I haven't seen much on the internet, but the yahoo groups Latin Jazz listerv has alot of postings about Mario Rivera's passing on 8/10. Mario was from the Dominican Republic. He played baritone sax on alot of salsa and latin jazz records. Damn good player.

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[mikeweil]

Sad news. He was the # 1 baritone on the Latin Jazz scene for many, many years.

He toured Europe last year or so with his own band, saw him on TV with it. He will be missed.

[sidewinder]

I haven't seen much on the internet, but the yahoo groups Latin Jazz listerv has alot of postings about Mario Rivera's passing on 8/10. Mario was from the Dominican Republic. He played baritone sax on alot of salsa and latin jazz records. Damn good player.

Saw him in the early Eighties with George Coleman's octet. A very good, player, indeed. :(

Sad news - a fine player with a nice big sound.

Yes, saw him myself in that band around that time (the lineup also had Danny Moore I think). There's a fim of this band in action up on dime and recorded in the UK - well worth checking out.

[JSngry]

I saw him on tenor in1981 at Sweet Basil (iirc) in a Tito Puente "Latin Jazz All Stars (ditto) band that also had Andy Gonzalex, Jorge Dalto, John Rodriguez (of Tipica 73, with whom I had also heard Rivera), and another percussionist, a cunguero, whom I regretfully do not remember.

They smoked all night long. Any presumtions that this was going to be a "sunny" Latin-Jazz date went out the window from jump, as the opening tune was a descarga that went on for about 20 minutes. Gonzalez & Dalto were zoning out into '65 Trane area harmonically, all the while keeping the clave, and Rivera dove in and shook the house with some mighty powerful playing - earlier comments about his big sound nail it. None of this highly/narrowly focused "New York Tenor" sound for him, no. He played it the way I like it - big fat full sound that fills the room and your soul and whatever else you got on hand. Everybody played like this all night - I was directly in front of Rodriguez - like, front row table in front, and let me tell you what - all this "more cowbell" jokery mocks the true dignity and power of what that simple piece of metal is capable of in the hands of a master like John Rodriguez. Believe it.

it was not a "Tito Puente with Accompaniment" gig, it was a "Tito Puente Hire Cats To Kickj His Ass Up Another Notch And Loves Every Second Of It" gig, and I was luck to have stumbled across it after waiting at Town Hall (iirc 3) will-call for a couple hours hoping in vain for a ticket to open up for an SRO Cecil Taylor gig (still haven't seen Cecil live, and I'm getting kinda nervous about that nowadays....)

Anyway...

Mario Rivera could play. dammit. I heard it myself, and I'm here tellin' it.

[Guest Bill Barton]

He was a powerful and creative player indeed. I had the pleasure of hearing him in performance with the United Nation Orchestra and with Eddie Palmieri. A great loss to the music... R.I.P., Mr. Rivera.