16th Annual Jazz Critics Poll Gerry Gibbs Thrasher Dream Trios, Songs From My Father (Whaling City Sound) New Releases – Philip Booth (JazzTimes, Jazziz, Relix) New Releases – Andrew Gilbert (San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Classical Voice, Bay Area News Group) New Releases – Mark Holston (Jazziz, Latino) New Releases – Yoshi Kato (San Francisco … Read More
By Howard Mandel, Downbeat Papo Vázquez’s Mighty Pirates Troubadours are stirring. The precise, greased-gear ensemble moves through smartly arranged, post-boppishly interpreted jazz with a Latin tinge, and the first six tracks here all are highlights. The swirling syncopations, tart horn hooks and earthy choruses bind in a way almost scientifically refined over decades: The ballad … Read More
By Joe Ross, Roots Music Report Papo Vázquez’s tenth album is a serendipitous and celebratory affair of Latin jazz that came together during the 2020 pandemic. Seasoned musicians are adaptable, the Mighty Pirates Troubadours knew how to react quickly under pressure when a window opened that allowed them to gather and record. The band’s name … Read More
By Derek Ansell, Jazz Views Vazquez spent time jamming in NYC at an East Village location in the 1970s as a teenaged trombone player. He continues a 40- year career with this recording, planned in March 2020 but blocked by a NYC lockdown. The ensemble finally made it in June and July and have produced … Read More
By Shaun Brady, The Philadelphia Inquirer On the cover of his latest album, Chapter 10: Breaking Cover, Latin jazz pioneer Papo Vázquez has most of his face obscured by a face mask. But peering out over the skull-and-crossed-trombones logo of his long-running band, the Mighty Pirates Troubadours, the bandleader still manages to convey much of … Read More
By Raul Da Gama, Latin Jazz Net Raw energy and elegant frenzy have been abiding concepts that drive the music of Papo Vázquez, who has thrown, together with his singular ensemble the Mighty Pirate Troubadours, every ounce of his ingenuity into this music. Read more here.
By Aaron Cohen, The Chicago Reader Trombonist Papo Vázquez had plenty of reasons to feel reflective this past spring. He was about to record Breaking Cover, his tenth album under his own name, and he’d spent more than 40 years performing with some of New York’s top Latin ensembles, among them Jerry Gonzalez’s Fort Apache … Read More
By Angel Romero, World Music Central rombonist, composer and arranger Papo Vázquez has released a superb album titled Chapter 10: Breaking Cover. Papo is a highly reputable trombonist in the straight ahead jazz and Latin Jazz world. On Chapter 10: Breaking Cover, Papo celebrates his Puerto Rican roots with a captivating set of songs grounded … Read More
By Shae Fontana, BleUBoP It’s a rare occurrence when I put on a record and I’m instantly hooked. An album usually has to grow on me but from the first note I knew this was special. Papo Vázquez fuses jazz and Puerto Rican folkloric music in a way only he can. Out this Friday, November … Read More
Por DJ El Chino, Solar Latin Club Cinco años después de su anterior producción Spirit Warrior con Los Mighty Pirates Troubadours regresa el fenomenal trombonista, compositor y arreglista Angel R. Vazquez, mejor conocido como Papo Vásquez, con su más reciente obra Chapter 10: Breaking Cover. Para leer mas presione aquí.
