Getting Hot With Los Hombres

A growing number of fans consider Los Hombres Calientes to be the hottest Latin jazz band touring today. However, in recent months, co-leaders Irvin Mayfield and Bill Summers have expanded the group’s horizons greatly, hoping to encompass the many Afro and Latin rhythms of North and South America. The band’s recent performance at RegattaBar was a live document of their progress.

The group’s opening number set the standard for the performance. After a brief, intense rendition of the opening statement from Ornette Coleman’s “Lonely Woman,” the band segued into an Afro-Latin interpretation of John Coltrane’s “Impressions.” Mayfield started the fireworks with his solo, tensely running off dizzying patterns, his trumpet nearly swallowing the microphone.

Los Hombres have been fond of performing suite-like tunes in the past. They indulged themselves with a lengthy, multi-sectioned rendition of “Bill’s Q Yvette,” a title which refers to Yvette Summers, the band’s diva and percussionist. After another dynamic solo from Mayfield, the focus was turned to the outstanding sideman of the group, pianist Red Atkins. With bassist Ed Livingston keeping time, Atkins danced through the tune, playing with various rhythms. This feature was followed by a showcase of the entire percussion section, from master percussionist Summers to drummer Horacio Hernandez.

Perhaps as a result of the recent departure of Jason Marsalis from the band, Los Hombres have focused a lot more attention on Mayfield. This is quite fitting, as Mayfield has much of the technical virtuosity and bluesy style associated with New Orleans trumpeters such as Louis Armstrong and Wynton Marsalis. However, his showmanship seems overly self-conscious, as he tends to overuse stage techniques such as circular breathing.

Bill Summers’ bandmates call him the Guru, and for good reason.While Mayfield was the center of attention, Bill Summers subtly drove the band from behind his varied percussion set. He conjured numerous rhythms from his percussion collection, playing cowbells, shekere, bongo, tambourine, even unleashing his sticks on the stage lights. At times, he commanded the whole room, as was the case when he led both the band and audience in a recreation of traditional West African call-and-response. The band’s spontaneous transitions all seem triggered by Summers, as when he guided the band out of Herbie Hancock’s funk classic “Chameleon” into a traditional New Orleans second-line march, compelling the audience to their feet to bounce—in the absence of dancing room—along with the band.

The standout performance of the night was the band’s rendition of Dizzy Gillespie’s Afro-Cuban classic “Night In Tunisia.” Switching back and forth between Dizzy’s classic rhythm and a rhumba, the band weaved their way through all the twists of the tune, and added a few themselves. The tune ended with a spellbinding cadenza by Mayfield, his trumpet wailing and growling, with the audience goading him on.  After Mayfield closed out the tune, Summers turned to the audience matter-of-factly and said, “There. You don’t have to go to church tomorrow. You have just been blessed.”

The audience was also educated throughout the performance. Los Hombres Calientes took the audience on a rhythmic tour of North, South and Central America. As a Harvard undergrad in attendance said after the concert, “It’s amazing that six people can create so much music.” Perhaps that’s one more lesson Los Hombres Calientes wanted to get through to their fans.