Chuck Tumlinson, reporter

Arturo Sandoval delivered an electrifying performance to a receptive capacity crowd. During this early evening concert, he demonstrated the impressive versatility of he and his band members. Arturo is one of the today's true great virtuosos. His own story is a true inspiration. His command of the entire range of the trumpet is certainly well documented and was displayed at this performance.

The set ranged from mainstream jazz to various Latin and fusion styles. While he may not have played as much trumpet as some might have preferred, Arturo performed extensively on a number of instruments, which include trumpet, piano, keyboard, timbales, and jews harp. Many tunes segued together and included short quotes of tunes, including Tadd Dameron's Hot House and John Coltrane's A Love Supreme.

The band consisted of superb musicians. Bassist Armando Gola and drummer Alexis Arce played with energetic abandon at times, sometimes abruptly shifting direction to relaxed and romantic moods and anchoring long rhythmic vamps when required. Their soloing was also superb. Pianist/Keyboardist Javier Concepcion was equally impressive. Saxophonist Ed Calle demonstrated strong command of the vocabulary of the post-Coltrane saxophone vocabulary. He also revealed extensive colors on the EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument) - covering bass sounds during a bass solo and providing padding at other times. One real highlight of the concert was a solo on the maracas by percussionist Tomas Cruz. It was amazing to hear the variety of timbres and rhythmic inventiveness from what is generally regarded as a background instrument.

Throughout the set, Sandoval demonstrated a strong ability to build a solo on both trumpet and keyboard. He demonstrated strong technique on both. On one cadenza, his sense of harmony on trumpet had the harmonic flavor of a Bach keyboard prelude. In a portion of a cadenza toward the conclusion, he started a passage on low pedal G, which ended on G above double high C in an amazingly short amount of time. His piano playing and compositions had a hint of the sound of Chick Corea.

The audience demanded and received an energetic encore, which consisted of continued pyrotechnic displays. Much of the set revealed a new direction in which he seems to be headed. We will observe Sandoval's continued development with interest in the years to come.