Latin Jazz Album: Mitch Frohmann “From Daddy with Love”

0

Mitch Frohmann’s “From Daddy with Love” is a wonderful ly enjoyable Latin Jazz album that at times it’s hard to believe it’s played only by a quartet.

The music is rich, warm, and Mitch makes it sound as if he were in your living room playing for you.

Mitch played 25 years in Tito Puente’s orchestra, and that influence comes through in some of the songs. He also worked with the great Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamaria. More recently, he has been a member of the Mambo Legends Orchestra, the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, and the Bronx Horns.

“From Daddy with Love” is a double-CD album that contains 13 songs. The Mitch Frohmann Quartet is composed of Mitch in baritone, tenor, and soprano saxophones as well as on flute, Zaccai Curtis on piano, Luques Curtis on acoustic bass, and Joel Mateo on drums. The recording includes guests John “Dandy” Rodriguez in congas, bongo, bell, and guiro; singer Jorge Maldonado (in the title song “From Daddy with Love”), and Denice Frohmann in spoken word (“Accents con Ritmo”).

What I Liked About “From Daddy with Love”

Musicality – I loved the musicality of the songs in this album. The music flows easily and the arrangements for the quartet hit the mark. The cohesiveness of the quartet shines through.

Mitch Frohmann spent 25 years working with Latin jazz maestro Tito Puente.
Mitch Frohmann spent 25 years working with Latin jazz maestro Tito Puente.

Relaxed Performance – yes, Mitch plays a wonderful sax and flute, but the most intriguing thing is how relaxed and warm the music feels. At times Mitch speaks or comments during the album. This makes it feel as if you were at an intimate jazz venue enjoying the quartet.

Good Latin Jazz – the influence of Tito Puente is felt in this album as the percussion plays a vital role. However, Mitch mixes it well with the rest of the instruments to create a smooth but at times spicy Latin jazz sound.

Great Mix of Rhythms – Mitch plays Mambos, Guajira, Bossa, Bebop, Cha Cha’s, and Bolero (in 2 versions, instrumental and with vocals). There’s not a dull moment in “From Daddy with Love”.

My Favorites – are “Mambo de Nice”, “El Rumbón del Bariton”, “From Daddy with Love” (especially the vocal version, it’s an emotional bolero especially for those of us who have daughters), and “Soprano with Soul”.

Suggestions for Mitch Frohmann

"From Daddy with Love" is Mitch Frohmann's 1st recording with his Latin jazz quartet.
“From Daddy with Love” is Mitch Frohmann’s 1st recording with his Latin jazz quartet.

“Accents con Ritmo” – I liked the album, so I’m going to get picky here. I have mixed feelings about this song. I like the creativity of the vocal spoken word by Denice Frohmann, but I could only enjoy it once or twice. After that I found myself wanting to skip the song.

My Recommendation of “From Daddy with Love”

I think it’s pretty evident that I truly enjoyed this album and I highly recommend it. Mitch Frohmann and his Quartet provide a warm musical performance of Latin jazz with various degrees of spiciness. The University of Miami graduate in Music Education (1975) hits the sweep spot on this album.

If you are a jazz or Latin jazz fan it’s very likely that you will enjoy “From Daddy with Love”, which I hope grabs a Grammy or Latin Grammy nomination in 2014.

You might also like

Leave a Comment or Reply