by Ken Laster
It was Latin Jazz night on August 3, 2020 at the Paul Brown Monday Night Jazz series, and Nelson Bello brought the heat to this live-streamed concert. He also brought his new purple sparkle finished congas with him, which he played with fire and intensity. With the rhythm section of Damian Curtis (p), Matt Dwonszyk (b), Perdomo (d), and front-man Emmett Goods (tb), the band played an amazing set of jazz standards, originals and even a rock classic. These were all arranged to highlight the complex Latin rhythms and extraordinary percussive playing of Bello and Perdomo. Damian Curtis showed why he is the go-to pianist in the Hartford area when it comes to Latin Jazz. Emmett Goods held the front line on trombone playing the melodies and burning solos. He was joined on the last number by Bello’s son Nigel for a double trombone extravaganza. As always, bassist Matt Dwonszyk held down the bottom with amazing skill often transitioning between songs which were played without breaks through most of the performance.
I knew this would be a great concert, when the set began with one of my favorite tunes Shade of Jade (Joe Henderson). From there, the band went right into Rene McLean’s Dance Little Mandisa. A surprise tune was rock star Sting’s Fragile, arranged for the occasion in a Latin Bomba style. Both Emmett Goods and Matt Dwonszyk contributed original compositions as well. It was wonderful to see the band dedicate much of the set to Hartford legends like Rene and Jackie McLean, Paul Brown and Ramon Santiago.
If you missed the concert, you can see it at this link.
photos by Maurice Robertson
Next up will be Leala Cyr on August 10 at 7pm, once again Live-Streamed on HJS Facebook Live page. For more information on the Paul Brown Monday Night Jazz Series click on this link.
