eMusic Review 0
Trumpeter Arturo Sandoval has always been willing and able to blow all the petals off the hothouse flowers. Sandoval's crowd-pleasing high-notes and other technical hijinks have actually obscured (his critics would say stunted) his emotional and conceptual command. Whatever the reason, the maestro who has credibly scored his own life story, showcased the history of jazz trumpet by accurately emulating all the icons track by track, and even issued a piano record similarly regarded as brilliant by some and fulsome by others, has always seemed less than the sum of his protean solos.
A Time For Love won't silence all his detractors, but it is hard to gainsay the immaculate restraint and buttery tone he applies to a series of ballads that range from challenging classical works by Faure and Ravel to American Songbook staples by the Gershwins and Cole Porter. Backed by a full orchestra and the arrangements of Grammy winner Jorge Calendrelli on most tracks, and a trio and a smattering of guest stars — fellow trumpeter Chris Botti, pianist Kenny Barron, vocalist Monica Mancini — on a few others, Sandoval lets his passion smolder, with a grandiose tonality that puts the strings in context… read more »
