It's hard to believe that Why Deny is Marty Sheller's recording debut as a leader. As a trumpet player and arranger, he has contributed his talents to an innumerable list of albums that (on the Latin side) includes Mongo Santamaría (for whom he served as musical director), Sabú Martínez, Tito Puente, and Willie Colón, among many others. In the 1960s, his musical skills made the Latin jazz and salsa recordings that he worked on much hipper, and he gained a well respected name as a writer-arranger in jazz, Latin and commercial jingles.

The Sheller sound of today is humbly described by its creator as "jazz with a Latin feeling," but let me tell you, the jazz is burning and the Latin is swinging! Marty gives us three original compositions: Wayne Shorter's Mahjong, the standard Sweet & Lovely, and the title track original, written by Bobby Porcelli. The music breathes freely, with ample space that lets the intriguing melodic themes and interludes unfold. It also gives the soloists plenty of room to improvise.

The cast on board is a seasoned and talented bunch made up of Oscar Hernández (piano), Rubén Rodríguez (bass), Steve Berrios (percussion), Vince Cherico (drums), Bob Franceschini (tenor sax), Bobby Porcelli (alto sax), Sam Burtis (trombone), and trumpeters Joe Morganelli and Chris Rogers, the son of Barry Rogers. Sheller's The Route 40 Flyer is a real cooker that opens the album with a bold statement. Cherico drives the band with big band-style propulsion. Franceschini grabs the burning tempo and tames it with an energetic solo on tenor sax.

El Pavo is a 6/8 piece that has that certain Mongo stamp on it and is further highlighted by Magnarelli. But it is Bobby Porcelli, an old friend and colleague of Marty's, who shines on several selections on alto sax.

This albura is a must for serious jazz fans who dig in-the-pocket, straight-ahead jazz-Latin with virtuosic performances. There is an intrinsic beauty and style on Why Deny that reminds the listener of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Horace Silver, and yes, the Mongo bands of the 1960s. The musicality is superb and is a credit to the unsung talent of Marty Sheller, who proves his place in jazz history as a master of his artistic craft.