Antonio Hart
Ama Tu Sonrisa
Enja Records ENJ-9404
Antonio Hart (alto & soprano, flute)
Yosvany Terry (tenor sax)
Steve Nelson (vibes)
Kevin Hays (piano)
Richie Goods (bass)
Camille Gainer (drums)
Nasheet Waits (drums)
Renato Thoms (percussion)
Rolando Morales (percussion)
Khalil Kwame-Bell (percussion)
Lenora Helm (vocal)
Claudia Acuña (vocal)
1. FOR
AMADOU (06:07)
2. AMA TU SONRISA (06:51)
3. DISTANT COUSINS (06:11)
4. WAYNE S LAMENT (04:59)
5. FORWARD MOTION (05:47)
6. HAVE YOU MET MISS JONES (05:33)
7. SOMEWHERE (05:23)
8. PEACE LOVE AND LIGHT (03:38)
9. GROVER WASHINGTON JR (04:27)
10. EL PROFESSOR (03:03)
Total time: 51'59
Those who follow jazz have been knowing Antonio Hart and his big-toned alto for years. After graduating from Berklee College (with a Music Education Major's degree), he teamed up with trumpeter Roy Hargrove with whom he shares an impressive musical rapport. They spent three years touring the world and recording Hargrove's first three albums as well as Antonio's own debut for RCA Novus, "For The First Time" (1991). While with this label, Antonio recorded three more projects as a leader. At the same time he continued his education studying with the great Jimmy Heath and Donald Byrd and graduating from Queens College (with a Master's degree). In 1997 he moved on to record for Impulse! ("Here I Stand") and earned a Grammy nomination for "Best Instrumental Solo." Beside his solo career, Antonio is widely known for his solid sideman contributions to recordings by Nat Adderley, Monty Alexander, Kathleen Battle, Terence Blanchard, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ray Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Green, Wallace Roney, McCoy Tyner, Phil Woods and many others.
"I don't want to play standards the way they've been played before," says Antonio who tries to connect jazz tradition with popular styles and influences from Latin and Mid Eastern musics. Since 1997 he spent much time studying music from Cuba, Israel and North Africa. While deeply impressed by such masters of the jazz saxophone as Cannonball Adderley, Wayne Shorter, and Grover Washington Jr., the 30-year-old loves to combine even old-time standards with funk and R'n'B grooves, Cuban rhythms and odd meters. On his new album, "Ama Tu Sonrisa," he presents a top-notch jazz band featuring Steve Nelson, Kevin Hays, Nasheet Waits and others, extended by percussionists and vocalists. Covering world-wide musical influences, Antonio's new release presents high-class jazz improvisation of a timeless quality within unusual and forward-looking formulas.