BuzzFlash Reviews

BUZZFLASH REVIEWS

If you are a jazz lover, read on. If you have no interest in jazz what so ever, don't.

This DVD is a remarkable, dazzling tribute to Latin jazz by Spanish filmmaker Fernando Trueba. It begins simply enough with Trueba explaining:

A principio de los ochenta, un amigo me regalo un disco que complico mi vida. Me volvi un adicto al jazz latino." (At the beginning of the eighties, a friend gave me an album that complicated my life. I became addicted to Latin Jazz.)

And then it bursts with vibrant performances by leading Latin jazz artists, including the late Tito Puente. This is not the light Latin jazz you hear on commercial radio stations: this is the real thing performed by artists who never miss a beat.

Trueba segues into each set with a visual and narrative introduction the musician who is about to perform. Most of them live or lived in the New York area and recorded at the Sony studio on 54th Street (hence, "Calle [street] 54").

Frankly, we don't often see films of musical performances. Usually the visual images don't enhance the music itself. But "Calle 54" is an exception.

You can feel Trueba's love and deep respect for the music and musicians throughout the film -- and the music itself is a brilliant sampling of Latin jazz. There's not an artist that lets you down. Originality, creativity and flawless execution are in abundance.

In a nation dominated by pop music, you sometimes forget the artistry of musicians who push the edge of the envelope with masterful innovation.

Where else could you see a jazz riff blended with flamenco dancing?

"Calle 54" may not have been a commercial hit, but it's a smashing success that will leave you radiant. And thankful that a Spanish Director became addicted to an exquisite art form.

BUZZFLASH REVIEWS