Dave Schumacher & Cubeye, Auga Con Gas Review

By Jeff Becker

On Agua Con Gas, Dave Schumacher delivers a nine-song set in which Afro-Cuban rhythm and jazz swing are interlocking elements.  Schumacher and his ensemble, Cubeye, flow through clave-based groove, swing eighth-note phrasing, and montuno-driven motion. By placing the baritone saxophone at the center of this design, Schumacher gives the ensemble a distinct tonal identity, extending the lineage of players like Ronnie Cuber into a more structurally integrated Latin jazz setting.

That approach requires an ensemble functioning with a strong connection to the music being presented. Centered around baritone saxophonist Schumacher, Cubeye fields a responsive horn section with trumpeters Alex Norris and Jesus Ricardo, alongside Peter Brainin on tenor and soprano, and Roger Rosenberg reinforcing the low register when needed. Pianists Manuel Valera and Silvano Monasterios comp from inside the groove, while bassists Alex Apolo Ayala and Luques Curtis maintain forward motion through consistent, syncopated lines. At the core, Yusnier Sanchez and Mauricio Herrera on congas, drummer Joel Mateo, and Chegüi Metralla on clave comprise the rhythmic engine. Congas outlining rhythmic melody, drums shaping form, and clave aligning ensemble phrasing. Each of the ensemble settings throughout the album is constructed to operate within the creative mindset Schumacher establishes.

The title track, “Agua Con Gas,” brings Schumacher’s creativity through tutti builds, layered horn counterpoints, and a B section that shifts into swing. Schumacher’s baritone solo brings melodic bop-influenced phrases across both feels. His time sitting inside the Latin groove and articulating swing eighths feels natural. Norris’ trumpet follows, building texture with the rhythm section. Valera’s piano solo introduces modal color, then drives forward with percussive right-hand figures. The exchanges between Sanchez’s congas and the ensemble in the latter part of the composition codify the Afro-Cuban continuity.

“Yambú” makes Schumacher’s approach and continuing heritage clear. Metralla’s clave and Sanchez’s congas govern the ensemble’s Afro-Cuban alignment throughout. Schumacher’s warm lower-register melody is supported by ensemble figures. Muted trumpet establishes the core material, with multipart horn lines answering. This is built into a controlled full horn texture as the music develops. Schumacher’s baritone solo stays locked to the clave, with full-register tone and precise rhythmic placement that is delivered with a bop grounding. A shout chorus figure of stacked rhythmic voicings forms the call and response with Sanchez. Sanchez’s congas flow with punctuated figures, reinforcing the exchange. The closing section returns to a more traditional Afro-Cuban feel, completing the form by reconnecting to the opening groove.

As a composer and arranger, Schumacher’s writing conveys intra-line integration with sectional contrast. Across the album, he moves between Afro-Cuban and swing identities. In “Amosaya,” a syncopated frontline melody develops into a montuno-based groove that continues under the solos. Brainin’s tenor stays within that pocket, building phrases that mirror the rhythmic shape of the accompaniment, while Norris extends the line with longer, more lyrical phrasing. Schumacher’s baritone pushes the energy forward through articulated eighth-note lines tied to the post-bop grid. Ayala’s bass solo maintains forward motion, building to the montuno layer that allows Sanchez’s congas to take the spotlight. The horn writing throughout functions as support and counterpoint with Latin jazz voicing, stacks, and rhythms.

“Cubism” extends Schumacher’s melodic design in the lower register. Mateo’s drums and Herrera’s congas shape the groove. As the Bari can be heard as a clear melodic voice. The pronounced Afro-Cuban feel lives with swing-based horn writing and articulation. The inclusion of two Bari saxophones is highlighted, as both deliver solid solos. Rosenberg’s baritone solo moves with clean, forward resolution, while Schumacher emphasizes rhythmic articulation, giving his bop lines a defined lift. Monasterios’ piano solo builds through cascading right-hand figures, increasing intensity without obscuring the groove. As montuno patterns and horn figures layer in, the ensemble expands the texture while maintaining clarity, with the two baritones combining in the low register to produce a noticeable resonant foundation.

In “Prince of Darkness,” Sanchez’s congas and Mateo’s drums generate a continuous current, with Ayala anchoring the harmony through syncopated motion. Norris shapes his solo through rhythmic accents and tonal variation, while Schumacher’s baritone lines extend across the groove in long phrases aligned with his resonant tone. Brainin’s soprano shifts the register upward without disrupting continuity. Ayala’s bass solo sustains the same motion, and Valera drives the energy with percussive attack and harmonic movement. The closing exchange between percussion and ensemble figures reinforces the same internal pulse, bringing the track to an enjoyable conclusion.

Throughout the album, Mateo’s drumming stabilizes and shapes the feel. The rotating piano, bass, and conga voices introduce variation within the same Latin jazz framework and chemistry. In “Amosaya,” montuno patterns unify the rhythm section into a single engine. In “Letters From Paris,” the reduced quartet setting shifts to a more intimate Latin ballad feel, but the internal alignment remains intact. Achieved through phrasing and listening, grounded interaction. Across all configurations, cohesion comes from shared rhythmic awareness within the design Schumacher establishes.

Agua Con Gas stands as a clear and confident statement from Schumacher as a composer, arranger, and bandleader operating within the modern Latin jazz landscape.

Agua Con Gas succeeds because Schumacher builds the music from understanding specific styles and rhythms. With Cubeye executing at the highest level, each selection moves freely through feels. Allowing clave, swing phrasing, montuno patterns, and ensemble interaction to function as a unified language. That language holds across every shift in feel, texture, and form. Anchored throughout by the baritone’s low-register presence at the center of the ensemble sound.