Latin Jazz

Drawn with a moody artistry, shaded by its Cuban musical roots, "Chico & Rita" is a buttery rich animated tale of love, jazz, showbiz, fame and politics in the late '40s and early '50s that is as catchy as its tunes. This is definitely animation for grown-ups — its look is voluptuous, sexy and sultry; its Latin-inflected Dizzy Gillespie sound is seductive; and its story of young lovers whose passions are tested is timeless. It all begins in Havana in the pre-Castro years when rich Americans jetted down for entertainment.

"Con Ritmo y Sabor," the second annual Los Angeles Latin Jazz Festival, was billed as a tribute to "El Gran Cachao." And it was a well-chosen dedication, the appropriate focus for an evening of roaring Latin jazz that drew a cheering overflow crowd of enthusiasts to the Universal Amphitheatre on Saturday night.

Poncho Sanchez is really into it. Sitting behind his three black conga drums at the Vine Street Bar & Grill in Hollywood on a recent Thursday, Sanchez is knocking out a solo on the tune Latin/jazz tune, "Half and Half." The charismatic, full-bearded Sanchez attacks his drums with feverish thumps from his palms, stinging slaps from his fingers and furious palm-and-finger dances that make the drums seem to purr.

Without its former stars Andy Montaez or Roberto Roena, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico is not the same. But this edition of a band formed 35 years ago is still good enough to convincingly headline a show that includes Tito Puente, Celia Cruz and Eddie Palmieri. El Gran Combo still has three dynamite frontmen in Charlie Aponte, Jerry Rivas and Papo Rosario, as it showed Saturday at the third Hollywood Salsa & Latin Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl.

It may not be getting as much attention as Ricky Martin's latest swivel of the hips, but there is a growing cornucopia of Latin jazz around the Southland. This week, Rocco Ristorante in Bel-Air, a favorite destination for fans of young jazz talent, is beginning a program of regular Latin jazz on Friday nights. The program actually kicked off Thursday, with a galvanized performance by the Banda Brothers Latin Jazz Sextet.

Rhythmic energy was bursting in all directions at the Hollywood Bowl on Wednesday in a performance modestly titled "Latin Jazz Night." Three impressive groups -- Jazz at Lincoln Center's Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, the New Orleans-based Los Hombres Calientes and the stirring ensemble of salsa great Willie Colon -- sustained a virtually nonstop flow of musical jubilation.

SAN FRANCISCO - "This is one of my favorite rooms," said SFJAZZ founder and Executive Artistic Director Randall Kline, smiling as he stepped over exposed pipes and dusty planks in the SFJAZZ Center. "Then again, they're all my favorite rooms," he added. You'll forgive Kline for sounding a bit excited. This month, construction on the $63-million SFJAZZ Center will finish with a grand opening scheduled for Jan.21, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Two days later, a roster of opening-night performers that includes McCoy Tyner, Joshua Redman, Chick Corea and Esperanza Spalding (with Bill Cosby as master of ceremonies)

It'll take a bit of doing to make all the stops--a private helicopter would help--but there's enough jazz festival action taking place over the next week to satisfy the most avid fans. Tonight, for example, the Monterey Jazz Festival (presented by MCI WorldCom) kicks off its 42nd installment, one of the world's longest-running uninterrupted series of jazz concerts.