At a recent Latin jazz festival held at the Universal Ampitheatre in Los Angeles, Al McKibbon participated in a four piece "bass summit" with three Latin born legends of the genre- Cachao Isreal Lopez (who was being honored that night), Andy Gonzalez, Carlo Puerto, jr. At first glance, it might look strange for the 80 year old Chicago born, Detroit raised musician to play along side these natives of the culture. One look at McKibbon's half century long resume, however, makes it clear that he was right where he belongs. He played on Dizzy Gillespie's landmark Latin jazz recording Manteca in 1948, and throught the years, played rhythm behind genre greats Mongo Santamaria, Chano Pozo, Armando Paraza, Pataato Valdez, and Francisco Alabella-in addition to the hundreds of jazz and pop greats he has performed or recorded with over the years.

Verve's Ultimate series unveils a new idea in the hackneyed concept of greatest-hits collections: instead of compilation producers, these albums feature tracks selected by figures who either worked with or were influenced by the artists themselves. The results are much more than your average best-of compilations; they're closer to treatises on the immense influence those artists exerted on generations to come, documenting exactly why they were special and deserve to be remembered.

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The billing (Irakere "featuring Chucho Valdés") illustrates what a draw the leader-pianist Valdés has become in his own right, and Yemayá does indeed showcase his prodigious talents as a keyboardist, albeit on an electro-acoustic instrument and with a set designed as much for the American jazz audience as for his Cuban roots. The opening title cut with Valdés's sister Mayra Caridad on vocals is a killer Latin-soul-jazz workout, while track 2, with blistering solo work from Valdés over a crisp, percussion-led rhythm, sets the tone for the remaining seven extended cuts. This is not so much Cuban music as jazz with a Latin base--complex, disciplined, but swinging hard. The pace is often frenetic, with soloists diving straight in at the deep end, but with sophisticated arrangements there is always plenty of light, shade, and drama. Yemayá represents a new phase for Irakere and is Latin Jazz of the highest caliber, full of virtuosity and passion. --Derek Rath

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