| PRODUCER’S NOTES
During the late 1970’s and early 80’s there was one band playing around Los Angeles that every jazz musician and jazz fan wanted to hear, a Caribbean jazz ensemble called Baya. The band was made up of eight regular members and over the course of five years, a host of subs that read like a who’s who of jazz and Latin music’s best session players. Most of the regulars had other gigs that sustained them through this period but when they were in town, Baya was their passion.
The band played all of the best jazz venues in Southern California like Donte’s, Carmello’s, The Maiden Voyage, Pasquale’s, The Baked Potato and sometimes ventured outside that circuit into clubs like The Roxy and The Pantera Rosa. Over the years they developed a large and loyal fan base and consistently played to packed houses. Baya also played the local festivals such as the L.A. Street Scene, Laguna Jazz Festival and The Playboy Jazz Festival among others.
The factors that differentiated and distinguished Baya from its contemporaries were its songbook, made up of dozens of original tunes, and a relentlessly burning rhythm section. Unfortunately, two of the original members of that rhythm section have passed away, the drummer Roger Bethelmy (from Jamaica) and the steel drum player and percussionist Vince Charles (from St. Kitts). Vince was aware that this reissue was being planned and in fact came into the studio just weeks before his death to record a new tune for this project
This CD is dedicated to their memory and the memory of all the great music they made.
Enjoy,
Patrick Michael Murphy
Reissue Producer |
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