Three
reviews of “Funky Cha” un
edited
Jonathan
Widran, All Music Guide "
Review of “Funky Cha”
Listening
to the veteran
fourth
project since 1999 is like taking a frenetic
joyride
through a realm where classic Latin music forms
blend
furiously with the best of
traditions.
Harvie S has been at this a long time;
in
1966,
he traveled to
island's
master players. Since then, he's masterfully
blended
the two forms, working with great bandleaders like
Juan-Carlos
Formell, Stan Getz, Paquito
d'Rivera, and
Arturo
O'Farrill, among others.
The one major thing he's
learned:
both forms have the same African rhythmic roots.
But
why read a dull history book when you've got the
bassist
and his wild but subtle-when-they-have-to-be
quintet
providing such vibrant illustrations of the
connection?
They launch the disc with a hard-driving,
heavily
percussive jam on Thelonious
Monk's
"Rhythm-a-Ning" and the rolling, pitter-patter
grooving
original
"C7 Heaven" (featuring Daniel Kelly's vibrant
piano
ensembling beautifully with Jay Collins' sax),
then
ease
coolly into the date's most memorable -- if least
chops-heavy
-- number, the original piece "Mariposa en
Mano,"
a sensuous slow-dance number dedicated to S's wife;
S
had recorded it as a bossa nova on an earlier album
but
his
mixed vibe of son montuno and charanga is more than
just a
little intoxicating. From then on, he works a
spirited
balancing act between crazy-makers like the
well-titled
"Earquake" and the subtler, harmonically
rich
"A
Bright Moment" and a hypnotic, classically influenced
cover
of Cole Porter's "What Is This Thing Called Love." ~
George
W. Carroll/The Musicians' Ombudsman E Jazz
News
You
can always count on the unquestionable jazz bass
talents
of Harvie S to conquer any idiom he sets his
mind
to.
And, conquer he has with his new CD project ''Funky
Cha.''
Harvie & the group's
imaginatively structured music
features a
fine blend of subtle yet complex renditions of
the
Latino culture, underscored by his bent for the
'harmonic' & the 'melodic'....This is pure
invigorating
energy
assimilated into what he plays & delivered
musically.
Harvie & group give us a version of an
organic
synthesis
of sound & musical style expanded & enriched by
his
choice of repertory.
Karl
Stober E jazz News
The
mad scientist of musicology perhaps, however what
self-respecting
musician with years under their belt has
not
developed a style so unique it withstands time. Harvie
S
has taken Latin music and with his own modern style
created
this hybrid production to be released in April
called
“Funky Cha”, a very cool piece of Afro-Cuban sound
with
an attitude!
Keeping
the Latin flavor the various sounds intermingle
at
a
ferocious rate and produce a tidal wave effect. From
string
attacking stage left to bass from stage right with
center
stage as percussion central, this is a jazz
performance
of eclectic splendor.
Case
in point “C7 Heaven” which one might call sound
microwaved!
Extraordinary arrangement and composition,
acutely
structured without a doubt but with the suspect of
being
improvised note by note all over it.
The
Jay Collins saxophone mystique is very sharp and acute
in
presentation on title cut “Funky Cha.” Note the mix of
genres
and the percussion work of Beaver Bausch along this
ride.
This is a special cut providing a unique atmosphere.
Stay
close to the music, stay close to the direction it
takes
you on that first listen…. It tends to stir the
juices…