Indestructible
is one of
Barretto
's most solidly consistent efforts, a series of
Afro-Cuban
rhythms and song styles illustrated by a stomping band that knows how to move the classic material in a
jazz
manner into
improvisation
and then back again. The opener,
"El Hijo de Oblata,"
is a case in point: a piano line playing a steaming
son
line sets the base for the horn section to widen it; next comes the chorus on the vocal melody, propped up all around by an army of percussionists, and they all meld together before the tempo slows momentarily and slips into a five/eight
Latin
-tinged
number where the pianist takes a solo rich in arpeggios, and smooths the rough-edged rhythms out with large augmented and suspended chords. When the line begins again, it's twice as fast and the percussion section moves into overdrive with the piano so that the vocalists can barely keep up! In addition, there are gorgeous
merengues
here; a
rumba
or two; and a few more
sons
. Most noteworthy is the lovely and shimmering
"El Diablo,"
with a call and response vocal that the claves and shakers and bata drums play counterpoint to. This is solid all the way through, and can only be called "
salsa
" in the most generic sense of that word -- there is too much other stuff going on here, too many traditional moments being banded together with
to gentrify this music. A true find in
's vast catalog. ~ Thom Jurek