The Pedrito Martinez Group (Deluxe Edition)

After arriving from Cuba in 1998, Pedrito Martinez quickly established himself as one of New York City’s great Afro-Cuban musicians. Sought out by other musicians like Paul Simon, Sting, and Wynton Marsalis (who guests here), the percussionist/singer has also led his own quartet (two drummers, bass, and piano) since 2010, holding down a weekly residency and jam session in a Midtown restaurant. While mining several subgenres in Latin jazz, the tunes here offer an even broader range of ideas, complementing the classic drum-heavy Afro-Cuban style (“Concienia” and others) with blues-based grooves (Robert Johnson’s “Traveling Riverside Blues,” which features guitarist John Scofield), as well as gospel and R&B (The Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There”). In an impressive display of skill and chemistry, the band even alternates its style measure to measure on “La Luna.” This set alternates between Martinez and pianist Ariache Trujillo on lead vocals; Trujillo displays power and range on “Despues de Todo,” while Martinez peaks on “Los Santos.” This should go a long way toward spreading the gospel of The Pedrito Martinez Group well beyond NYC.