Jorge Lopez Ruiz - 1967 - El Grito (Suite para Orquesta de Jazz)

Jorge Lopez Ruiz

1967

El Grito (Suite para Orquesta de Jazz)

01. El Grito 6:12

02. M.A.B. - Amor 7:45

03. Todas Las Estrellas 3:45

04. Tendre El Mundo 4:10

05. De Nuevo El Grito 7:45

Alto Saxophone, Soloist – Mario Cosentino

Baritone Saxophone – Julio Darré

Bass Trombone – Christian Kellens

Contrabass – Guillermo Facal (tracks: A1 to B1)

Contrabass – Jorge López Ruiz (tracks: B2, B3)

Drums – Osvaldo (Pichi) Mazzei

Flugelhorn, Soloist – Gustavo Bergalli

French Horn – Marcos Mola

Guitar – Oscar López Ruiz

Piano – Rubén López Fürst

Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Arturo Schneider

Trombone – Luis M. Casalla

Trumpet – Domingo Mariconda

Trumpet – José Granata

Trumpet – Tomás Lepere

The work of a genius artist living under an oppressive dictatorship, erased by the government of the time, this is buried treasure in every sense and it’s been a rare record for over 50 years. But it isn’t just being hard to find that has pushed up the prices of those few original copies that survived, this is a foundational record in the development of jazz in South America.

El Grito (Suite Para Orquesta De Jazz), eternal Argentinian magic released on CBS in 1967. One of the most sought-after South American jazz LPs. Living in Buenos Aires in the '60s, driven by creative impulse and rage Jorge López Ruiz used music as his platform to protest the Argentine military dictatorship. A young López Ruiz had appeared on a television panel alongside writer, politician and philosopher Arturo Jauretche, criticizing the Onganía dictatorship. Jauretche told López Ruiz "Now say it with music". This was the deep inhale that lead to El Grito, literally "The Scream". El Grito was banned not long after it was released and the majority of original copies were unceremoniously destroyed. A rare record for over 50 years, El Grito (Suite Para Orquesta De Jazz) is a showcase for Jorge López Ruiz's skills as a composer and arranger as he leads a virtuoso orchestra of the likes of Mario Cosentino (alto sax), Baby López Furst (piano), Pichi Mazzei (drums), Gustavo Bergalli (trumpet), Oscar López Ruiz (guitar), Arturo Schneider (flute), and Jorge López Ruiz himself plays double bass on the fourth and fifth movements. As the album's sub-title explains, the album is a jazz orchestra concept suite. Five movements, to be heard as a whole, that end where they begin. "El Grito" grabs you by the lapels and refuses to let go. Raw then controlled, it's by turns stabbing then soothing, with rage weaved in and out of the elegant styles. With a tense introduction and a patient build, in "M.A.B. Amor" a gentle sax sweeps in to lift everything up to meet the serene piano and soft drums. Elegantly paced, it moves back and forth between deep contemplation and a more urgent call and response between strings and horns. "Hasta El Cielo, Sin Nubes, Con Todas Las Estrellas (Up To The Sky, No Clouds, With All The Stars)" a relatively brief mid-tempo piece featuring López Ruiz's insistent bass notes high in the mix, and again blending the sublime with the emotive with its wild horns and tight rhythm section. It's followed by "Tendré El Mundo (I Will Have The World)" which also leads with hypnotic bass, but this time swifter, driven by crashing drums, rapid horn conversations and effortlessly cool piano flourishes. Rounding out the suite, "De Nuevo El Grito" is a stylish closer. Whilst López Ruiz's bass shifts the track along, the horns and piano are more restrained, yet no less stunning.

Bassist, composer, arranger, and film scorer Jorge López Ruiz was the living embodiment of Argentine jazz history. This recording, which was done in 1967 with a big band led by López Ruiz, represents a monumental work in Argentine jazz. The work is a concept album that takes a critical stance on the chaotic political situation and the military regime in Argentina at the time. It was banned upon release and directly led to constraints being placed on López Ruiz’s subsequent activities. Musically, it represents the starting point of López Ruiz’s ‘musical world’, where he wholeheartedly reflects his spirit as a Latin American and Argentine citizen onto his music – jazz. This work is a masterpiece of 60’s big band jazz, which captures López Ruiz’s passion and rage – both as a musician and as a man in the face of an unforgiving reality.

A brilliant large group performance from Argentine bassist Jorge Lopez Ruiz -- and one that's got all the fire and energy you might expect from the cover! The album's an extended piece in five movements -- written, arranged, and directed by Ruiz on bass -- but featuring some stunning solo work from Mario Cosentino on alto sax, Gustavo Bergalli on flugelhorn, and Ruben Lopez Furst on piano! The tunes step out slowly, but build fully -- with a mixture of complex ideas and rich individuality that reminds us a lot of the Clark Boland Big Band, with with perhaps an even greater sense of space.