When asked to label Sonido Isleño’s music, critics and fans agree that it is Latin Jazz in the truest sense of the term: Sonido Isleño explores different ways of mixing Jazz and Spanish-Caribbean music, while making the music accessible, organic, and logical. This is the direct result of the New York musicians involved, who are completely bi-cultural, a benefit of being residents of the largest Caribbean city in the United States. Active since 1996, Sonido Isleño is the brainchild of Dr. Benjamin Lapidus and is made up of master musicians who have performed and recorded with a who’s who of Latin music including Eddie Palmieri, Celia Cruz, Ray Barretto, and The Buena Vista Social Club, among others.

In an August 2004 interview with Nestor Gómez for Barranquilla’s major newspaper, El Heraldo, Lapidus explained his musical concept: “Many people say that Latin Jazz must have certain characteristics. But I look for ways to put jazz into Latin music rather than making Latin music subordinate to jazz, which is the classic notion of Latin Jazz. I try to present musical situations that can bring folkore and jazz together in a straight-forward fashion, so that the listener doesn’t lose the harmonic complexity of jazz.”

Unlike other Latin Jazz groups that feature traditional jazz instruments, Sonido Isleño achieves its sound with string instruments and percussion. Their first album, ¿Quién Tiene Ritmo? (1998), was an instant critics’ favorite and received solid airplay. El Asunto (1998) won the group more fans around the world and earned a position on many year-end critics’ lists. The band performed on CBS – The Morning Show with Bryant Gumbel and Jane Clayson and made numerous radio appearances throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico to promote the record. In August 2000, EMI-Capitol released Real Latin Jazz - Percussion, Piano & Strings, featuring Sonido Isleño’s “Jazz Changüí.” This compilation of Latin jazz placed Sonido Isleño in the company of such Grammy award-winning artists such as Chucho Valdés, Eddie Palmieri, Poncho Sánchez, and Giovanni Hidalgo. Tres is the Place (2001) cemented Sonido Isleño’s position amongst Latin jazz fans and radio programmers. Many critics named it in their top ten albums of 2001. The band performed in TNN’s James Bond commercials and performed at various high-profile jazz venues in the U.S. and Europe. In 2004, Blue Tres was hailed by critics as their best album to date and the band performed throughout the U.S. and in Colombia to support it. Blue Tres made 4 top-ten lists for Latin Beat Magazine’s year-end issue in 2004.

Sonido Isleño’s newest release, Vive Jazz (2005), marks the next step in this exciting group’s signature brand of Latin Jazz . . .