Music: Sizzling Arturo Sandoval Cools Off

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ARTURO SANDOVAL has mellowed out considerably, at least in conversation. Before, in interviews and onstage, the esteemed trumpet player was known to spit out statements that rivaled hip-hop battle rhymes in braggadocio. Luckily, he had the chops to back up his cocksure swagger.

As a trumpeter and bandleader, Sandoval is a consistent heavy-hitter in Latin jazz. After co-founding Cuba's legendary jazz-fusion combo Irakere and releasing his own string of stellar albums, many critics hailed him as the new "King of Latin Jazz" after Tito Puente's death seven years ago.

There were plenty of other contenders for the title at the time, including Eddie Palmieri, Poncho Sanchez and Chucho Valdes. But Sandoval himelf wasn't lobbying to claim it.

"I don't like those titles," Sandoval said. "I love all kinds of good music and play on so many different kinds of records."

His newfound humility aside, Sandoval still kicks out some major jams on the trumpet, as evidenced by his new disc, "Rumba Palace" (Telarc Records), an effervescent romp from start to finish. Named after one of Sandoval's South Beach Miami nightclubs, the disc is like a sweaty rendezvous, a mad night out on the town, a trip to a place where the rhythms are incendiary the dancing nonstop and the groove undeniable.

Taking the spotlight on the album are Sandoval's sterling trumpet improvisations, which swoop, soar and spiral with the muscular grace of a boxer. His playing brings to mind that of the legendary Dizzy Gillespie, who took a young Sandoval under his wing and eventually helped him gain U.S. citizenship.

"He taught me the love for music," Sandoval says. "It was a privilege having one of your heroes becomes your mentor and later your friend. That's unbelievable."

When asked whether he's planning on transforming the Birchmere into his Rumba Palace nightclub by insisting that the audience dance, he says modestly: "I don't know. It's up to them. I enjoy it when people start dancing off my music."

» Birchmere, 3701 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria; Fri, 7:30 p.m., $39.50; 703-549-7500.

Written by Express contributor John Murph
Photo by Tom Grizzle/Getty Images