Ronnie Cuber story

[JSngry]

You've done nothing improper. It was Larry who made the error 

[Larry Kart]

10 hours ago, JSngry said:

Bad guys or ignorant? I am in no way qualified to speak to or about other peoples' consciences. Their intellects will speak for itselves over time. 

It - the record in question - was a Latin-ish date to begin with, and certainly had commercial/crossover ambitions (just look at that cover photo!!!) . Those are mostly all studio players, which is where Cuber was living at the time. You get studio players to make a studio record, you get a studio record, for better and for worse. 

As such, it did what it wanted to do in the way it was to have been done. In no way is it supposed to be a "straight jazz record". It's got an Eddie Palmieri cover for crying out loud! And a tune called Fajardo. Cuber was pretty well known in Latin circles, not just jazz. 

And Ronnie Cuber had no problems making commercial records. None. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Not only was the scene clean, so was his conscience (it certainly seems!) "Jazz fans" can be horribly parochial about stuff like that sometimes. 

So if you buy this record expecting a Steeplechase-type affair, you might not be ignorant, but you will be woefully uninformed as to why you expectations were not met. 

It's the guitarist that bugs me, to be honest. Never did care for him. Not in BS&T, not with Joe Henderson, not in the SNL band (which I think is where both him and Cuber were gigging at the time). Never. 

Oh, please be careful. You meant to quote me, but instead you edited me. 

Otherwise, FAJARDOI!!! 

 

Based on my somewhat partial experience of Latin percussion supporting and/or interweaving with a jazz soloist, if it had been, say, Ray Baretto and  friends, everyone would have been happy, including me. What fooled me initially was the album title, a great Dameron tune, I went right to the track and thought "meh"  -- what's with all this seemingly non-functional  tuned percussion "interference?" so to speak.

[JSngry]

He was doing what the gig called for, and doing it well. 

[Mark Stryker]

FWIW, I reviewed this record positively when it came out specifically for the Latin rhythmic flavorings, breezy melodicism, party vibe and the rehearsed and focused sound of the band. Cuber's spirit is undeniable no matter what is going on around him, but I also like what's going on around him here and how he relates to it. Of course, everyone's mileage can and will vary and that's fine. I still play this record on occasion and always enjoy it when I do. 

[sonnymax]

It beats the heck out of this one:

[JSngry]

1 hour ago, Mark Stryker said:

FWIW, I reviewed this record positively when it came out specifically for the Latin rhythmic flavorings, breezy melodicism, party vibe and the rehearsed and focused sound of the band. Cuber's spirit is undeniable no matter what is going on around him, but I also like what's going on around him here and how he relates to it. Of course, everyone's mileage can and will vary and that's fine. I still play this record on occasion and always enjoy it when I do. 

Exactly. It's a record for a more "general" audience/application.

One might dare say "commercial"!!!!!! 

[Larry Kart]

3 hours ago, JSngry said:

Exactly. It's a record for a more "general" audience/application.

One might dare say "commercial"!!!!!! 

I'm in the "ungeneral" audience category by and large and am not ashamed of it, if only because I respond to many topnotch recordings that are or seem to be in the general audience category. Life is like that.

[JSngry]

Life is like everything. 

[brignolafan]

On 5/22/2023 at 11:27 AM, JSngry said:

He was doing what the gig called for, and doing it well. 

I couldn't agree more. When I was speaking to Roberta, his ex-wife but still manager, she talked about how Ronnie had dreamed of getting to record on Milestone. I loved all of his Steeplechase albums (some more than others), but there was a period where he was on labels that didn't do him justice, during which I enjoyed his sideman appearances more. Xanadu was gone, and Milestone was one of the classic American labels with a storied tradition still in operation. Is "Scene" slick? Unquestionably, but Ronnie still plays wonderfully, and I have always been a fan of Keezer. Needless to say he has matured in both musicianship and personality, but he's unquestionably a magnificent pianist. Ronnie's Airplay was my introduction to Keezer, and I was blown away. Ronnie played with a lot of pianists, but I particularly liked those albums with Keezer, Kenny Drew Jr., and George Colligan.