With the release of his fine new CD, Do or Die, and the launching of weekly appearances in the new Wine and Jazz Series in East Granby, , the celebrated Latin jazz percussionist, composer, arranger, educator, and bandleader is celebrating full speed ahead in the fast lane with no detours in sight.
Most immediately on his agenda, the versatile multi-instrumentalist, who plays everything from congas and timbales to vibraphone and marimba, performs in the series with his quartet on Thursdays from 5:00 to 8:00 pm at the Brignole Vineyard, a locally owned and family-run, wine-making operation that bills itself as a "hub for local wine lovers."
Tapping into vintage material by Cal Tjader (the great Latin Jazz vibraphonist and one of Fast鈥檚 early idols), Tito Puente, Hilton Ruiz, and original works, Fast -- on vibraphone -- is joined in creating a complementary ambience by guitarist Gianni Gardner, bassist Leo Catricala, and the consummate conguero Jorge Fuentes. With its cool, vibrant, vibes-oriented sound, the quartet is sure to serve much musical veritas at the jazz and wine series. Feel free to bring cheese, crackers, and snacks to accompany your wine. No cover.
Information: and (860) 653-9463.
Even aside from the new CD and the jazz and wine gig on Thursday evenings, Fast鈥檚 schedule is moving at an up-tempo pace, both on and off the bandstand.
Last December and January, the mobile maestro -- who has toured as a sideman with Broadway shows from Russia and China to Japan and South Korea -- had to turn down a job with Aretha Franklin to take a long-delayed jaunt to Africa to visit old friends.
On his visit, the globetrotter from Hartford managed to jam with local musicians in Tanzania, go on safari to the Ngorongoro Crater and even take a dip in the Indian Ocean on Christmas Day.
More recently on a professional note, he has tapped into his classical training 鈥� one of his great mentors was the famously versatile percussionist and Hartt School professor Alexander Lepak 鈥� as he played timpani in presentations of the Mozart Requiem at 9/11 commemorations in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx.
Fast鈥檚 busy schedule, which has included recent plum musical tours 鈥� including with Arturo O鈥橣arrill鈥檚 Afro-Cuban version of Bizet鈥檚 opera Carmen -- also features a weekly Sunday Latin jazz gig in New York City at Manhattan Brew & Vine.
Locally, he鈥檒l be playing in Hartford on Friday, October 21, at 6:00 pm with Conga Bop at the Artists Collective鈥檚 popular Atrium Series, with a full lineup stocked with such Latin jazz groovemeisters and longtime Fast friends and collaborators as pianist Zaccai Curtis and trumpeter Joel Gonzalez, along with special guest vocalist Linda Ransom. Information: and (860) 527-3205.
In a recent interview with Fast, the on-the-go bandleader, not surprisingly, wanted to focus on Do or Die -- a milestone achievement and overdue sequel to his acclaimed 2007 Conga Bop release, Straight Shot.
Fast wanted to talk not about himself, his solos, arrangements, or his four compositions on the new CD, but rather about the other musicians in the band and his special relationship over the years with a dedicated core group of stalwart players.
His Conga Bop cadre for the recording session features a guest appearance by the legendary guitarist Larry Coryell, along with a host of standout performances including the celebrated, Hartford-based trombonist Steve Davis and vocalist Linda Ransom, a song interpreter who can transform even the most elderly ballad into something freshly minted, 100 proof, and sexy sounding.
Virtually every regular player in Fast鈥檚 two or three platoon system on the recording is someone the affable leader has known and performed with on the Hartford scene for many years.
鈥淢y, God. I鈥檝e worked with the Curtis brothers [pianist Zaccai and bassist Luques] since they were little kids. Steve Davis I鈥檝e known from the beginning,鈥� he said of his CD's lineup.
These and numerous other underlying professional bonds and friendships over the years, he suggested, may well be at the root of the ensemble鈥檚 esprit de corps that illuminates Conga Bop鈥檚 organic hallmark sound even when the personnel lineups might change from track-to-track. In its various incarnations over the years, Conga Bop, for all its cast of rugged individual talents, has been a true collective.
鈥淔or me, this album is just a really meaningful, heartfelt collaboration. These aren鈥檛 hired hands for the recording sessions,鈥� he said of Conga Bop. 鈥淭hese musicians are more like family to me.鈥�
Whatever the changing mix of players from track-to-track on the new disc, the charts are uniformly smart and all the solos -- whether it鈥檚 trumpeter Josh Bruneau sounding like he鈥檇 fit right in with a classic Horace Silver Quintet -- or the hard-swinging, piano bench contributions provided by Zaccai Curtis or Sam Parker鈥攁re sharp, concise, right in the pocket just the way Fast loves it.
Variety abounds among the CD鈥檚 13 selections, including an original by trumpeter Jim Hunt, plus pieces by Horace Silver, Jerome Richardson, Duke Ellington, and George Gershwin. With Ransom furnishing the icing on the cake, there are deliciously fresh takes on several standards, including "Nature Boy" and "Willow Weep for Me," plus fresh perspectives on the late composer/percussionist Bill Fitch鈥檚 "Insight," a favorite Fast signature tune.
Part of what makes Fast鈥檚 role as a bandleader extra rewarding for him is the remarkable depth, versatility and array of talent among the simpatico professionals he has united here under his Conga Bop banner.
Take, for example, his being blessed with an alternating triumvirate of tenor players that includes Kris Jensen, Frank Kozyra, and Chris Herbert. With a bench like that, you can鈥檛 lose. Similarly, consider the band鈥檚 bass chair held down on one track by the much-in-demand Luques Curtis, and, in an iron man role on the remaining 12 tracks, by the indefatigable, Matt Dwonszyk.
Fast鈥檚 well-tooled, Afro-Cuban swing machine runs on unique, compatible, and if necessary, virtually interchangeable parts. A band of notable collective and individual expression, its whole product is greater than the sum of its parts.
Obviously, Coryell was the visitor among this tightly-knit coterie of Conga Bop players. Getting Coryell into the studio to sit-in on two tracks was a mix of pure accident and good karma, even a miracle of sorts, Fast said.
鈥淚 met Coryell, who I had never seen before,鈥� Fast explained, 鈥渁t JFK when we were both waiting for our flights to Europe.鈥�
鈥淚 just happened to see this guy carrying a guitar case, so I went over and asked him what kind of music he played. He said, 鈥楯azz.鈥� I said, 鈥榃hat鈥檚 your name?鈥� 鈥楲arry Coryell,鈥� he said. I was stunned.
鈥淲e chatted for several hours before boarding the plane. I told him about my upcoming recording project and asked if he might be interested in participating. He had an opening, he said, around the time when he was to play with Gary Burton at the Blue Note in New York, and said he鈥檇 love to do it,鈥� Fast said, still sounding pleasantly surprised.
Even Coryell鈥檚 bonus cameo appearance, with its star glitter, sheds even more light on the depth of Fast鈥檚 virtually all-in-the-family collaboration, since Conga Bop guitarist Rich Goldstein quite gracefully fills the guitar chair on other tracks. With or without star power, Conga Bop has an aura all is own.
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