Soy Califa

After being featured as a sideman on the '90s recordings of Latin percussionist Edgardo Cintron, Jesse Andrus made his recording debut as a leader with Soy Califa. The saxophonist/flutist (whose main influences include Dexter Gordon, Wayne Shorter, Sonny Rollins and Hank Mobley) wasn't famous, but he had been doing quite a few live gigs on the East Coast. It's appropriate that the big-toned Andrus gave this CD a Latin title, for he is a hard bopper with a definite passion for Latin jazz. In fact, Afro-Cuban elements are a high priority on this album, which finds Andrus (who is heard on tenor sax, alto sax, soprano sax and flute) bringing a salsa influence to Donald Byrd's "Tanya" and Eddie Harris' "Freedom Jazz Dance" as well as the standards, "On Green Dolphin Street" and "As Time Goes By" (a classic that he approaches as a bolero or Latin-style ballad). Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Desafinado" gives Andrus a chance to blend Afro-Cuban and Brazilian elements, and the title song is a Gordon piece that was already quite Cuban-minded to begin with. While Soy Califa isn't groundbreaking or innovative, it's a competent, decent effort that Latin jazz and hard bop enthusiasts will enjoy.