DVD of the Day - "Tito Puente, Tania Maria & Irakere"

DVD of the Day
Tito Puente, Tania Maria, Irakere, Batacumbele & Dave Valentin: "Tierrazo Jazz" (Tierrazo) 2008
A 2-DVD set assembled by Frank Ferrer, producer of the first issue, in Puerto Rico, of a "Kool Jazz Festival" (now JVC) edition. Domestically retitled "Tierrazo Jazz", it took place in December 1982, at the "Centro de Bellas Artes" in San Juan.
Great musical content, but terrible sound & video quality; really very, very poor editing, with some songs disappearing in abrupt fade-outs.
Disk 1 includes seven tracks by the mythic Cuban group Irakere - featuring pianist/leader Chucho Valdés, and including the astounding song "Chaca" - and three others by flutist Dave Valentin, then at the height of his fame at the GRP stable. Curiously, the last tune performed he performed, "Cravo & Canela" (Milton Nascimento & Ronaldo Bastos) is credited, in the back cover, as "Blackbird", the Beatles hit by John Lennon & Paul McCartney.
Disk 2 brings Tito Puente's band in five tunes. A duo between Tito (playing vibes) and the great Argentinian pianist Jorge Dalto on the standard "Stella by Starlight" is mistitled "Sophisticated Lady" (the Ellington ballad they don't play). Dalto steals the show on his delicious arrangement of Freddie Hubbard's CTI anthem "First Light", doubling on acoustic piano & Fender Rhodes. Then comes a Batacumbele track, followed by the Brazilian jazz lady Tania Maria, then at her Concord days. "Que Vengan Los Toros" and "Vem Pra Roda" (mispelled "Ven Pira Roda") are among the highlights of her incredible set, which features my soul brother Portinho on drums.