Los Blancos Latin Jazz Band creates a sophisticated and high-energy sound with its innovative fusion of elements of the Afro-Cuban tradition with contemporary jazz harmonies and adventurous rhythms. This blend takes the listener on a journey from the drum circles on the streets of Havana to the jazz clubs of New York. Los Blancos have a large and loyal following in the greater Lafayette, Indiana, area, where they've performed at the Lafayette Brewing Company, the Taste of Tippecanoe and the Riverfront Jazz & Blues Festival.
The band was founded in 1996, when percussionist Kurt Gartner and bassist Lynn Colwell, inspired by a series of concerts by Poncho Sanchez and Tito Puente, began jamming together on Latin grooves. Soon the band included the three-horn section of trumpeter Bruce Knepper, saxophonist Ned Boyd and trombonist Greg Wiesman, along with rhythm section members pianist Brad Whitely and percussionists Roger Hoover and Jeff Parthun. After three short years of performing and building repertoire, Los Blancos recorded its first CD, ˇEchale Salsa!, in 1999. That recording featured arrangements of Latin- jazz classics by Tito Puente and Ray Barretto, along with arrangements of jazz classics by Herbie Hancock, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane and Horace Silver.
Los Blancos' next recording project came in 2006, several years after pianist Brad Whitely had moved away and the seat was filled by composer and pianist Judd Danby. The CD, entitled Receta Original, features original compositions by five of the group's members, including a number of works that seamlessly blend elements of the Afro-Cuban tradition with distinctive musical forms and non-traditional rhythms and shifting meters. Don Seybold, host of Inside Jazz on radio station WBAA Public Radio from Purdue University, says of Receta Original:
It is a marvelous piece of work in every way. Well produced and recorded and exceptionally well played. I was really taken with the inventiveness, infectiousness, originality and creativity and depth of the work throughout, in every composition and from every composer. This is an exceptional piece of work by any measure and any standard. I love the album and it is playing as I write this and will be playing on my CD player at home, at my office, and on my show frequently.
Greg Carroll, Executive Director of the Kansas-City Jazz Museum, had this to say when he reviewed Receta Original for the liner notes:
Receta Original by Los Blancos represents many great things about the fusion of jazz and Latin music and it's accessibility. After listening to this project, it occurred to me that while none of the practitioners have family ties to Cuba or Africa, their music wonderfully pays respect to the great traditions of Afro-Cuban music. The success of this project also speaks to the accessibility of this great music we call jazz. Los Blancos epitomizes the notion that jazz-and furthermore, Latin- jazz-is for everyone. With proper education (through listening, good musical investigation, and practice), jazz can be practiced by and enjoyed by a rainbow of folk.
I commend Los Blancos for being part of that rainbow of practitioners and allowing me to be the beneficiary of their efforts. The project really grooves guys. ˇFelicidades en tu proyecto! ... ˇSigue la musica!