Calle 54

Just stumbled across a 2000 documentary on Latin jazz tonight via Netflix streaming. Absolutely terrific. A French/Spanish film, directed by Spanish music lover/filmmaker Fernando Trueba, it was set mostly at Sony studios on 54th in Manhattan (hence the name of the film, I would suspect), where some of the hottest Latin jazz artists I have ever heard were gathered. I actually recognized only a few of the performers, like Tito Puente and Gato Barbieri, though some more names seemed to ring a bit of a bell. Many, many performers and magnificent performances. (I will be researching the work of some of these people right away!) One of the highlights was a high-energy conga/dance piece. The final number, a piano duo by reunited, long-separated Cuban father-son Bebo and Chucho Valdes, was especially remarkable and moving. I am going to see if I can track down a DVD of this thing, as the sonic quality seems worthy of replay on a good sound system; even sounded decent streamed. Highly, highly recommended.