After 28 years of playing with everyone from Rubén Blades to Harry Belafonte, Ralph Irizarry is an overnight sensation.
Since going solo, Irizarry and his band Timbalaye have generated the kind of buzz most musicians only dream of, culminating now with the Latin jazz group's self-titled debut on Shanachie.
The unique septet's origins can be traced back to Irizarry's love and dedication to the timbales, which were introduced to him as a child growing up in New York City.
"When I met the timbales", recalls Irizarry, "there was nothing else for me".
His first set of timbales came from his father, who received them as payment of a debt for a neighborhood ne'er-do-well. The eight-year-old Irizarry promptly broke them, and away they went into a closet. Pulling them out of the closet when he was sixteen to play with a friend, Irizarry became hooked for life.
"I would run home from school and just go to my basement and play for six or seven hours", he recalled.
Irizarry quickly began to play timbales with local groups, but his first big break came in 1978 at age 24, when he was asked to join Ray Barretto's band. Irizarry had been working at a brokerage house, moonlightning with local bands at the time. Presented with the opportunity to tour Venezuela with Barretto, Irizarry was given an ultimatum by the brokerage house to choose between the two careers. Irizarry made the leap into the music business. "I haven't had a day gig since", he says with a smile.
After four years on the road and in the studio with Barretto, Irizarry joined Rubén Blades' band, Seis del Solar, with whom he stayed for 15 years.
During that time, Irizarry also made a brief side trip into acting, scoring a juicy role in the film The Mambo Kings, where he played Armand Assante's timbal-playing buddy Pito Fernandez.
Several years later, Irizarry would again make it onto the screen - this time in the documentary "Como Su Ritmo No Hay Dos" on the legendary Cuban bassist Cachao. Irizarry played timbales in Cachao's band during the Miami concert that is the centerpiece of the film. "It was beyond my wildest dreams that I'd do a concert with him", Irizarry says.
In addition to his gigging with Latin music's biggest names, Irizarry also toured with David Byrne on his "Rei Momo" tour and was one of the studio recording musicians for Paul Simon's Broadway debut, "Cape Man".
The beginnings of the group Timbalaye begin in 1996, when Irizarry decided to make a Latin jazz recording with a decidedly different sound. He approached a number of arrangers from various backgrounds - ones from Cuba, Venezuela, Puerto Rico - so that he would explore several branches of the Afro-Latin tradition.
Irizarry first borrowed money, then maked out three credit cards to pay for musicians and recording time for the studio project. "Everyone at the record companies liked it, but didn't know what to do with it", Irizarry recalls.
Undaunted, Irizarry decided to put together a live version of the group, but realized that they would have to rehearse for three months before they even tried to play in public.
Irizarry found six other young, talented musicians who shared his vision and they began gigging in small clubs around New York City. They quickly garnered critical acclaim for their weekly Salsa-meets-Jazz gig at the world-famous club SOB's and were invited to play at the prestigious JVC and Texaco jazz festivals.
Timbalaye's sound recalls the Willie Bob/Mongo Santamaria percussion section of the Cal Tjader band. Like that legendary line-up, Timbalaye has only a timbal and conga player, but it has a rich, full rhythmic foundation - as much as a band that also uses trap drums or bongos.
Timbalaye's diverse perspective is obvious from a look at their repertoire. "Rampa Arriba" (Up Ramp) has Cuban roots because of its writer, Oriente Lopez; "Raza Cosmica" (Cosmic Race) was written by Venezuela's Juan Carlos Salas and features a vocal duet by Miles Peńa and Claudette Sierra; "Bomba Mundo" uses Puerto Rican bomba rhythms; and "Nuevos Aires" borrows from Argentinian folkloric chacarrera style.
Irizarry points out that the group's name comes from an expression in Cuban music that roughly translates as "world party!". With the release of Timbalaye's debut CD, audiences around the world will now get the chance to do just that.

August 1998