BROWNMAN & ARECIBO FEAT. LUIS FRANCO
@ SUPERMARKET, TORONTO
MARCH 26, 2022
Brownman Ali and Arecibo recently performed at the Supermarket in Toronto’s Kensington Market.
This exciting, energized and exploratory Latin-jazz outfit delves deeply into Cuban, Puerto Rican, Trinidadian, Venezuelan and Brazilian modern jazz traditions, and is modeled after the New York Latin-jazz spirit of Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band. The group features some of Torontoβs most acclaimed jazz and Latin music specialists. Among this notable lineup of musicians included 6x Global Music Award winner Nick Maclean on piano, the highly sought-after Mexican bassist Paco Luviano from KunΓ© (Canada’s Global Orchestra), and the JUNO-winning Cuban drummer from Okan Frank Martinez. All members perform under the direction of 2x National Jazz Award winning trumpet iconoclast Brownman Ali (who also leads the much lauded Latin-jazz group Cruzao, winners of the Montreal Jazz Fest’s “Grand Prix Du Jazz Award”). The band worked to highlight the multi-faceted Venezuelan singer Luis Franco on lead vocals.
Arecibo is named after the Arecibo radio telescope housed in Puerto Rico β the largest radio telescope in the world, responsible for the deepest exploration of space mankind has achieved to date. Energized, exploratory and thought-provoking – exactly how this night’s performance felt.
Bandleader Brownman Ali is a multi-genre award-winning trumpeter, improviser, composer and label owner. Born on a small Caribbean island and schooled in New York, he is now based in the city of Toronto. He is heralded as one of the most in-demand young jazz studio trumpet player in Canada today.
(Photography by Zolen Jolene)