Dan Moretti, Live at the Pump House Music Works Review

By Jeff Becker

When Dan Moretti stepped onstage at the Pump House Music Works with his ensemble Brazilia, the fertile ground for exploration in front of a live audience was primed and ready. This recording captured that celebration, a communal gathering that merged Wayne Shorter’s compositions with the forward motion of Moretti and Brazilia’s Latin jazz. Recorded live in Peace Dale, Rhode Island, Live at the Pump House Music Works captures the electricity of a packed house, the daring of live interplay, and the joy of rhythmic connection.

Wayne Shorter’s music has always been fertile ground for exploration, its harmonic structures and melodic curves inviting interpretation. Moretti’s vision was to honor that brilliance while spinning it through the kaleidoscope of Latin grooves with mambo, cha-cha, samba, reggae, 6/8 feels, and asymmetric meters. To realize this, he assembled a powerhouse ensemble of Moretti on tenor and soprano saxophones, Latin Grammy-winning bassist Oscar, pianist Maxim Lubarsky, percussionist Ernesto Diaz, and drummer Steve Langone.

The set opens with “Black Nile,” transformed into mambo fire. Moretti’s tenor slices through with fluidity while Lubarsky rides waves of montuno-inspired rhythm, pulling the audience into a dance before they know it. “Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum” follows, its cha-cha sway playful as the ensemble unfolds a commanding groove. A surprise comes with “Night Dreamer,” reinvented with a reggae feel. Stagnaro and Langone anchor a rolling foundation, Diaz sparkles around the edges, and Moretti’s horn is alert and communicative. “Speak No Evil” takes flight as a samba while still carrying the composition’s modal mystery. Moretti’s phrasing is outstanding as he is gifted in threading the harmony with a sense of celebration.

“Witch Hunt” brings darker drama, with the rhythm section pressing hard and Stagnaro commanding attention with a gripping bass solo while Moretti’s tenor burns over the top. “Yes or No,” reimagined in seven, is an example of the ensemble’s rhythmic amalgamation. Moretti’s soprano rides the asymmetric pulse while Langone’s drumming and Diaz’s percussion keep everything alive with Latin Jazz. “Oriental Folk Song” stretches into a 6/8 modal expansion. Diaz and Langone’s rhythmic landscape gives Lubarsky and Moretti the space for conversational interaction. The closer, “Footprints,” is pure uplift, driven by Latin groove. Moretti’s lyrical phrasing and Lubarsky’s tireless piano fire make for a climactic ending. The leaves the stage, and the record, on a wave of energy.

Live at the Pump House Music Works is a very successful reinterpretation of Shorter’s classic repertoire from a perspective of Latin Jazz. Each arrangement has different rhythmic adaptations, harmonic respects, and improvisational colors from the style. It offers an evolution through fresh grooves and hybrid jazz languages. Live at the Pump House Music Works channels the adventurous spirit of a live performance. Moretti and Brazilia show creativity in the transformation of every performance in the set. With every clave, every odd-meter shift, and every solo dancing with Latin jazz.