Drawing on
collaborators from throughout his time in New York, Varela assembles a
stand-out cast of veterans and peers. The album's core rhythm section is
composed of two jazz giants: pianist George Cables, a key mentor, and drummer
Billy Hart, one of Varela's earliest employers. They're joined by another
longtime employer, trombonist Clifton Anderson, as well as two of Varela's most
gifted contemporaries, saxophonists Dayna Stephens and Logan Richardson. On two
tracks, Varela features his one-time collective quartet with up-and-coming
players Arnold Lee (alto, son of bassist/composer Bill Lee and half-brother of
director Spike Lee), Eden Ladin (piano) and Kush Abadey (drums).
Varela is a
graduate of Houston's renowned High School for the Performing & Visual
Arts, where his fellow alumni include Jason Moran, Robert Glasper, Eric
Harland, Chris Dave, and Beyoncé. He arrived in NYC to continue his studies at
the New School, leading to opportunities to perform with a wide range of
artists including Cables, Hart, Anderson, Moran, Geri Allen, The Last Poets,
the Mingus Big Band, Kendrick Scott, Billy Harper and Tyshawn Sorey, among
countless others. He has also composed music for several film and TV projects,
including director Domenica Cameron-Scorsese's film "Roots in Water."
"This
record is a culmination of my New York experience," Varela says of San
Ygnacio. "It features some of my favorite people to play with and recalls
some of the positive experiences I've had during my New York days."
Legendary
bassist Ron Carter contributed the album's liner notes, where he writes that
Varela's "tone, choice of notes and compositions will place his playing
and name on the list of bassists to be heard." A hero turned mentor,
Carter is just one of the jazz elders who have taken note of Varela's talents
and encouraged the bassist along his path. While still in college, he was
invited to join longtime Dizzy Gillespie drummer Charlie Persip's big band.
Around the same time, Hart included Varela in a sextet of young players that
also featured rising stars Theo Croker, Sullivan Fortner, and Irwin Hall.
"Billy
encouraged us to challenge him and keep him young, and then he wanted to impart
his experience and knowledge onto us as well," Varela says. "It was a
great learning experience."
Three of the
tracks on San Ygnacio come from the repertoire of Hart's sextet:
"Pepper" and "Picturesque" are both George Mraz
compositions, while "Lullaby for Imke" is a gentle ballad that the
drummer recorded on a 2006 quartet release, presented here in a new arrangement
by pianist Ezra Weiss. "Picturesque" is the album's sole trio piece,
with Varela and Cables doubling up on the angular melody, while the brisk
"Pepper" is highlighted by the pairing of Dayna Stephens' tenor and Varela's
arco playing.
The album
opens with its only standard, Cables' bold arrangement of "I Should
Care." Varela says, "Especially on a debut record, the jazz community
wants to hear you play over a standard and know that you have that ability. If
you can't play a standard, it negates your jazz legitimacy. Besides, I've spent
a lot of time playing that music, I loved George's arrangement, and I wanted
something that everyone could get together and be creative on
immediately."
Varela's
"Colinas de Santa Maria" is named for his family's ranch in San
Ygnacio, which has been in his family's possession since at least a mid-18th
century Spanish land grant. While he grew up in Houston, Varela spent plenty of
time visiting family at the ranch and enjoying the town's unchanged Spanish
architecture. He evokes a sense of nostalgia for that time and landscape, while
saxophonist Arnold Lee contributes a vivid, wistful solo. The same quartet,
whose members Varela continues to play with in other contexts, returns on Eden
Ladin's simmering "Red on Planet Pluto."
The leader
takes the spotlight on "Mitsuru," a bass feature composed by
Anderson, who often used the tune to feature Varela in the trombonist's own
band. Anderson also contributes and plays on the mid-tempo swinger "Sister
Gemini." Cables, who Varela met through the auspices of Betty Carter's
Jazz Ahead program at the Kennedy Center, wrote the intoxicating waltz
"Looking For the Light," which Varela calls "one of my favorite
George pieces - it really encourages you to play lyrically."
The album
concludes with Varela's "Where the Wild Things Are," a modern burner
named for his favorite childhood book. Following a darkly atmospheric
introduction, the piece erupts into a bristling melody, finally leading into a
raucous solo showcase for Billy Hart. The tune is the prime example of Varela's
approach to bridging the generations represented in his band. "I wanted to
take the veterans out of their comfort zone," he explains. "I wanted
to flip the script a little bit and try something different, have them be
adventurous and play some songs they wouldn't normally be heard playing. I
wanted to push people in different directions to create a new sound."
An
intriguing mix of personalities and influences, generations and sounds, San
Ygnacio traces Marcos Varela's journey from Houston to New York, a trek rich
with experiences and opportunities. It's a striking debut that points the way
toward even more music - and miles - to come.
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