Wayne Wallace

The Reckless Search for Beauty

February 7, 2007

 
 
Wallace plays "Rhythm and Rhyme" Sunday, February 11 at the Jazzschool in Berkeley. 4:30 and 6:30 p.m., $18. Jazzschool.com
Related Stories: Wayne Wallace
Article Tools

San Francisco trombonist Wayne Wallace's fingers have been in so many home-baked musical pies it's a wonder he hasn't had a street or bridge named for him. Wallace has played, recorded, composed, and arranged for the likes of Santana, the Asian American Jazz Orchestra, Chris Isaak, and Pete Escovedo and his daughter Sheila E. Inspired by many genres and styles, he leans toward jazz, Afro-Cuban dance music, and funk/R&B.

Wallace kicks off this year with two distinct discs, the large-group jazz opus Dedication and the pan-Latin-American approach of The Reckless Search for Beauty. The latter is an inspired mix of originals and covers, with arrangements based on several styles of Caribbean or South American dance music or creative combinations thereof. Bill Withers' hit "Use Me," ecstatically voiced by Kat Parra, features a synthesis of churning Afro-Cuban and old-school funk rhythms while maintaining the pensively lusty theme of the original. Duke Ellington's lovely impressionistic ballad "Chromatic Love Affair" is given a languid, dreamy bolero treatment. Aside from a couple of (thankfully brief) dated, twittering synthesizer solos recalling '80s TV cop show themes, Reckless Search is a rousing, beguiling, nigh-on-perfect survey of the Afro-Latin diaspora that'll have you dancing and baa-baa-loouu-ing past midnight.

YOUR COMMENT


RECENT ARTICLES BY MARK KERESMAN

Car Alarm
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
The best discs to sum up 2008.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Plutonium Blonde
Wednesday, November 12, 2008

MUSIC SEARCH

Select One or More Criteria
From    To 

MUSIC BLOGS

Ear Bud

3:51 pm, Tuesday January 6
3:50 pm, Monday January 5
3:48 pm, Friday January 2

THIS WEEK IN MUSIC

Collide
Electric Arguments
This week, we review Loren Davidson, Tracy Cruz, the Karma Bandit, and Saul Kaye.
Kev Choice created a cult of personality by straddling two worlds.
Toxic Holocaust's thrash-punk provides the soundtrack for a post-apocalyptic world.

MOST POPULAR MUSIC STORIES

VIEWED E-MAILED COMMENTED
Kev Choice created a cult of personality by straddling two worlds.
This week, we review Loren Davidson, Tracy Cruz, the Karma Bandit, and Saul Kaye.
Toxic Holocaust's thrash-punk provides the soundtrack for a post-apocalyptic world.
Electric Arguments
Collide

THIS WEEK'S FEATURE


When millionaire real estate guru Russ Whitney sicced his lawyers on a local critic named John Reed, he had no idea what he was getting into.

SPECIAL REPORTS

Learning to Live with Less
Christopher Albritton on the Middle East, Matthew Holt on health care, Jeanne Jackson and Deborah Klosky on motherhood, Gopika Kaul on India, Nicole Martinelli on Europe, Chris Nolan and Scott Olin Schmidt on politics, P.J. Rodriguez on pop culture, Mike Spinney on religion and politics, and Kevin Weeks on food.
A collection of video reports from the East Bay Express.

RECENT ISSUES


Jan 7, 2009

Dec 31, 2008

Dec 24, 2008

Dec 17, 2008

Dec 10, 2008

Dec 3, 2008