ARTIST: John Ulloa Y Su Mision
TITLE: Rum & Smoke
LABEL: Puro Records
GENRE: Jazz
BITRATE: 162kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 47min total
RELEASE DATE: 2007-00-00
RIP DATE: 2007-07-20
TRACK LIST
1. Little Sunflower (Light Mambo) 9:16
2. Paz (Jazzy Mambo) 3:42
3. Moliendo Cafe (Mambo) 4:40
4. Afro Blue (Afro 6/8) 4:39
5. Moanin' (Mambo) 4:10
6. Angelique (Danzon-Cha) 5:37
7. Descarga Rum & Smoke (Latin 3:58
Jam)
8. Sofrito (Cha-Cha) 4:12
9. Manteca (Mambo) 3:56
10.Besame Mucho (Ballad) 3:38
RELEASE NOTES
In the music biz, a new album is called ôproduct,ö and the recently released Rum
& Smoke LP (Puro Records) is exactly that: a product. But itÆs more than a
product in the commercial sense. Much more. ItÆs also a product of culture,
history and passion.
ItÆs also a damn fine collection of music.
Behind all of this is John Ulloa.
John Ulloa may not be a household nameùyetùbut there are certainly well-known
names that appear on the album. Who they are isnÆt important, as the album is
not another of the ôhereÆs me and a bunch of fancy guests to hype the albumö
trend that has become popular in contemporary music. Instead, Rum & Smoke is
more than the sum of its parts. ItÆs a living document and a link between the
past and the futureùthe future West Coast Latin Jazz, to be specific.
And behind this is John Ulloa.
With a musical career that spans more than 20 years, the San Francisco
bandleader, percussionist, and educator has been carving his niche in the Bay
areaÆs musical realm, earning well-deserved respect for both his musical talents
and his intellectual contributions.
With two MasterÆs degreesùone in Latin American History and another in Cultural
Anthropology (with a visual emphasis), both earned from San Francisco State
UniversityùUlloa is an educator, often peppering his traditional course lectures
with explorations of the historical, social, and cultural relationships of
Afro-Cuban music and religious traditions. Rum & Smoke continues that tradition,
except instead of being heard in a lecture hall, itÆs heard in speakers and
headphones.
Ulloa has parlayed his thirst for relating his knowledge and appreciation of
history and culture with his creative passions, having studied with Afro-Cuban
percussion masters such as Orestes Vilat≤ and Michael Spiro in the United States
and with Daniel Rodriguez in Cuba.
From his remarkable knowledge base of the elements that have shaped his musical
influencesùespecially in West Coast Latin Jazz and with seminal artists such as
Mongo Santamaria, Armando Peraza, Cal Tjader, and Poncho Sanchez ùUlloa brings
that very same consciousness to his own music. Rum & Smoke is his first attempt
to present it in a recorded mode.
Like any critical emerging talent, Ulloa did not arrive on the scene overnight.
Born in Modesto, California, in 1973, John Christopher UlloaÆs musical career
developed from what was basically a hobby, drumming for a variety of local
bandsùheavy metal bands, no less.
And, like any critical talent, there were those subtle moments where an artist
finds his or her true voice, true calling, true purpose. For Ulloa, those
moments came via his academic pursuits. Ulloa was introduced to Latin Jazz while
simultaneously enrolled in a Latin American History course at Modesto Junior
College.
Things have never been the same.
The tug of wholly embracing this art form in all of its many modes pulled him
all the way to Cubaùôpre-Buena Vista Social Club,ö Ulloa notesùto further
investigate the roots of Latin Jazz, and to examine first-hand what he read in
textbooks.
Like an archaeologist returning home with a bag of artifacts, Ulloa moved with
his wife to San Francisco where he made the Latino-influenced Mission District
his home and San Francisco State University his base for where he could dissect
those artifacts and learn new bits of history and interpretation from elder
scholars.
AT SFSU, Ulloa turned the saying ôThose that canÆt do, teachö completely on its
head. Instead of sitting in a classroom thinking about it, Ulloa was active
outside of the lecture hall, doing it. And doing it smart.
Along with his own performing, Ulloa earned a valuable education when he became
a road manager for a 10-piece Latin band. Taking advantage of his booking chops
from his days as a hard rocker in Modesto, Ulloa had no problem performing his
duties for the band. His problem had to do simply with performing, or more
specifically, not performing.
Watching from the sidelines stung Ulloa. The need to be on stage rather than
backstage ôworrying about T-shirtö sales motivated him to quit his position. His
gamble paid off, though. Within a week, he was gigging with the band.
Things have never been the same.
Musicians may sometimes be flaky, but another thing they are is perceptive. It
didnÆt take long to for them recognize UlloaÆs passion and professionalism. A
consummate professional, Ulloa has demonstrated the kind of flexibility and
open-mindedness that is essential to meet the demand of the very diverse Bay
area music scene...as evidenced with his broad musical vocabulary that also
includes Rock, Hip Hop, and RÆnÆB.
Across the United States, Ulloa has earned performance and recording credits
with many acclaimed artists, including WAR, members of Los Lobos, Ruben Estrada,
Pete Escovedo, BUCHO, Dr. LocoÆs RockinÆ Jalape±o Band, The Mario Flores Band,
Benny VelardeÆs Supercombo, and Stymie and the Pimp Jones Luv Orchestra.
It is UlloaÆs relationship with Ruben EstradaÆs son, Cougar Estrada, that has
perhaps been the most essential and beneficial to UlloaÆs education and
career...and for that matter, Rum & Smoke. For years, Ulloa watched the
legendary vibraphonist perform at RubyÆs in Santa Barbara, and through those
concerts, he developed a long-time friendship with Cougarùhimself a world-class
drummer.
The genesis and ultimate conclusion of Rum & Smoke came about through a number
of conversations with the Cougar. What started out as intention eventually
became invention. ôWe definitely wanted to record a CD that would be a West
Coast Latin Jazz recording with an old school feel,ö said Ulloa. ôDirty, with
some mistakes; raw.ö
So what exactly is West Coast Latin Jazzùas compared to East Coast Latin Jazzùas
one might ask? Less frenetic and calmer style than hard bop, West Coast Latin
Jazz soaks up the Southern California vibe and delivers it with its own Latin
flavors. The West Coast style developed around Los Angeles at about the same
time as hard bop jazz was developing in New York City in the 1950s and 1960s.
Decades later, it is still revered and evolving, as evidenced on Rum & Smoke.
Aside from its generic attributes, Rum & Smoke is also a product of
perseverance. Initially intended to be a three-song demo, two prevision sessions
were aborted when Ulloa perceived that the musicians didnÆt share the master
vision. In 2006, Ulloa and Estrada (who produced Rum & Smoke) returned to the
studio with a roster of trusted, respected musicians and some loose sketches.
ôOnly a couple of the tunes were written and arranged prior to the session,ö
said Ulloa. ôThe guys only had reference CDs to work from; no charts. Almost all
of the arranging was done on-the-fly in the studio.ö
With Ulloa on congas, bongos, guiro, and chekere and Cougar Estrada on the drums
and at the controls, they were joined by Malcolm Ian Peters on bass, Edmund
Velasco on alto, tenor, and baritones saxes and flutes, and Nate Birkey on
trumpet. Two days later, the seven-track Rum & Smoke was complete, featuring an
impressive spectrum of influences: Paz, Molendo CafΘ and Angelique emerged from
Ruben EstradaÆs repertoire; Charles MingusÆ MoaninÆ was modified to fit UlloaÆs
vision; Freddie HubbardÆs Little Sunflower was given an update; and the Descarga
Rum & Smoke jam collected all of the present vibes and ghosts from the sessions.
The inspiration for the album and the music are only part of the albumÆs story.
The name ôRum & Smokeö also has its own subtle hints of relevance, as well as a
glimpse of UlloaÆs personal tastes. A self-proclaimed rum and cigar aficionado,
Ulloa treats these items not just as consumable products, but alsoùlike the
album for which it is namedùas cultural artifacts that are worthy of respect.
Both rum and cigars have a history with deep roots in
African/Cuban/Caribbean/Latin histories. The albumÆs labelùPuro (slang for
ôcigarö) Recordsùalso relates this tribute.
For music fans, whether casual or critical, the album is ultimately meant to be
enjoyed. Despite the relatively intellectual and academic motivations behind the
album, there is still ôif it sounds good, it is goodö mentality behind its
creation. ôI wanted to make a record that I would want to listen to,ö said
Ulloa.
ItÆs likely an album that you will want to listen to, too...perhaps with a
generous snifter of quality rum and some smoke from a fine puro.