Pete Rodriguez

I’m Pete Rodriguez Vol. 1

 Sunnyside

If you had a point to make and were introducing yourself to the world, most would go about it politely.  That’s not the case for trumpeter and composer Pete Rodriguez.  You need only look at the title of the opening track for validation. Rodriguez begins his album, the first of two albums, with “Jesus Said Show Affection for Your Enemies. I Say Fuck That!” So, what’s behind the defiance?  Rodriguez is the son of a legendary salsero, Pete “El Conde” Rodriguez and for multiple reasons the younger Rodriguez was never rightly accepted, cloaked with the burden of being in his father’s shadow as well as competing with several other trumpeters with the same name.  The younger Rodriguez is also a military veteran who suffered mental wounds and had to persevere through racial insults. After the  service, he attended Rutgers and studied under several jazz greats including Kenny Barron. He honed his chops in the NYC jazz scene and now lives in Austin, TX where he is an educator at Texas State University.

Basically this is one emphatic statement along the lines of “This is who I am, damn it.” While the distinctions between jazz trumpeters could be gauged in certain kinds of technique, the overriding separator is generally the ability to compose. Rodriguez clearly has a singular approach, call it sharp, jagged, sassy, and defiant. He formed this quintet through a series of connections. Longtime friend and drummer Rudy Royston was unavailable but suggested his son, Koleby Royston, who makes his debut on a jazz recording here. Bassist Raul Reyes is a friend that Rodriguez met in Dallas and who in turn introduced Rodriguez to pianist Esteban Castro and woodwind player Jon Beshay.

While that opener is a short piece that strongly says, “I’ve had enough and am not taking any more,”  the remaining eight originals clock in between four and seven minutes, fully formed pieces with soloing opportunities for all band members. “They Smile in Your Face (The Backstabbers)” is the jazz equivalent topically to that age-old blues tune “Grinnin’ In Your Face.” Here Rodriguez constructs a contrafact of the late Benny Golson’s  hard bop “Stablemates” to answer his belittlers in his teaching assignment. They quintet energetically swings through it upon inception, Rodriguez then slowing down his solo, alternating rapid fire bursts and sustained notes over just Reyes’ bass before the rhythm section joins with the baton passed to Beshay and then Castro for a equally aggressive turns.

The mood shifts to reflective on “Don’t Help Me, Help the Bear,” written for a friend who fought hard but succumbed to cancer. Beshay is quite impressive on flute, reminiscent somewhat of those Freddie Hubbard CTI albums with Hubert Laws (or in the modal period with James Spalding). Castro’s pensive piano shines through as well.  Rodriguez returns to his aggressive fiery blinding rapid clusters on “The End,” as his horn speaks on veterans issues with PSTD and his own time in service enduring racism. Here again he uses the contrafact, linking to Herbie Hancock’s “One Finger Snap.”  At this point it seems he’s pretty much done with the vitriol.

His “Mi Corazon” where he takes a vocal was intended to be a simpler piece and likely a ballad but it sounds anything but. Brimming solos from Beshay on tenor and Castro keep it moving until the leader puts his cap on it with a typically bright statement, with the whole band delivering a more luminous take in the instrumental version that closes the album. The simpler piece and balladic approach does come through on “When You Just Need a Vibe,” a showcase for Royston to show his

chops on the kit. “Raining” is a cinematic piece as Rodriguez views the rain over a wide expanse of plains stretching beyond his back yard. If you’ve been to Texas, you know the rain is more often violent than gentle and the quintet captures that, going full throttle with superb harmony between the two horns. To these ears the standout tune is “The Opposite Way (Alicia’s Tune),” a nod to his wife and a different compositional approach where he developed the chord progressions before the melody. Beshay steals the show with a riveting soprano saxophone solo.

So, while you get some spit and vinegar at the outset, you’ll experience warmth and empathy later, the fully rounded Pete Rodriguez, a stand up guy and a musical force to be reckoned with.  Maybe he will reveal even more facets on Volume 2.

– Jim Hynes

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