Line‑up
Andy James | Vocals
Bill Cunliffe, Ernie Watts, Joe LaBarbera, Jake Langley, John Patitucci, Vinnie Colaiuta, Chris Potter, John Beasley, Nicholas Payton, Terell Stafford
Jon Cowherd | Piano
Brian Blade, Joni Mitchell, Norah Jones, Cassandra Wilson, Iggy Pop, Lizz Wright, Bill Frisell, John Patitucci, Chris Potter, Kurt Rosenwinkel, James Taylor
Rick Margitza | Saxophone
Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Tony Williams, Bobby Hutcherson, Maria Schneider, Eliane Elias, Steps Ahead, Maynard Ferguson, Flora Purim & Airto Moreira, Eddie Gómez
Juan Antonio Suárez “Canito” | Flamenco Guitar
Sara Baras, Niña Pastori, Miguel Poveda, Gerardo Núñez, Diana Navarro, Rocío Márquez, Joaquín Grilo, Rocío Molina, Manuela Carrasco, Andrés Marín
Dominique Di Piazza | Bass
John McLaughlin, Trilok Gurtu, Biréli Lagrène, Michel Petrucciani, Gil Evans, Didier Lockwood
Alex Acuña | Percussion & Drums
Weather Report, Wayne Shorter, Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Ella Fitzgerald, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, U2, Carlos Santana, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea
Style
A cinematic jazz voice steeped in flamenco phrasing meets a lyric, modern piano trio, with tenor fire, singing electric bass, and Afro‑Peruvian/Latin drum colors.
Rhythmic architecture draws on bulería/tangos and post‑bop swing, opening space for elastic ballads, Iberian laments and New‑York‑tight grooves.
Collective storytelling favours counter‑melodies and interlocking ostinati; the band’s DNA privileges timbre and groove to frame harmony with luminous clarity.
Overall profile
Led by vocalist Andy James, this all‑star unit radiates a refined “flamenco‑jazz” aesthetic where articulation and narrative take center stage. James’ warm, burnished timbre and long‑line phrasing sit over Jon Cowherd’s lyrical voicings and a rhythm team that morphs seamlessly from modern swing to Iberian pulses. Rick Margitza adds tensile, glowing tenor lines; Dominique Di Piazza’s singing, chordal bass unlocks counterpoint and pedal‑tone drama; and Alex Acuña sculpts polyrhythms with hand percussion and drumset, dovetailing with the filigree and rasgueado of Juan Antonio Suárez “Canito.”
On our stylistic axes, the leader’s vector (w=0.5) emphasizes Timbre/Articulation and Interplay, while the remaining weights (w≈0.1 each) contribute strong Ritmic/Groove dominance (+0.1 toward Acuña/Canito), a contemporary harmonic vocabulary and idiomatic fluency across post‑bop, Latin and flamenco forms. The result is an elegant, song‑forward sound where dance‑born cadence meets chamber‑like detail—equally at ease with luminous ballads, metric modulations and buoyant vamps.
Member details
Andy James | Vocals
Timbre of satin warmth and theatrical poise; phrasing shaped by flamenco breathing and jazz rubato. Repertoire blends standards and originals with cinematic orchestrations. Interplay foregrounds dialogue with piano and tenor, with Latin/Peruvian percussion shading.
“James’ smoky, enrapturing voice is a direct conduit for the emotion of a song.” (The Urban Music Scene, 2024-04-25)
Jon Cowherd | Piano
A lyric modernist whose voicings and counter‑lines anchor the ensemble’s harmonic clarity. Alternates Rhodes/piano textures; excels at songcraft, ostinati and spacious comping that invites narrative vocals and sax interplay.
“A fantastic trio… powerful chemistry and technical wizardry.” (Filipe Freitas, JazzTrail, 2022-08-23)
Rick Margitza | Saxophone
Clear‑toned, emotive tenor with post‑bop vocabulary and long‑form melodic arcs. His lines bring glow and tensile lift over flamenco cadences, pivoting from burnished ballads to incisive vamps.
“Deeply emotive… featuring superb, clear‑toned playing.” (Jim Hynes, Making A Scene, 2021-02-03)
Juan Antonio Suárez “Canito” | Flamenco Guitar
Rasgueado finesse, hybrid compás and lyrical falsetas; bridges baile energy with modern jazz form. His touch supplies filigree, propulsion and Andalusian color within song‑first arrangements.
“Lo mejor de Canito es que su toque no se parece a ningún otro.” (Sara Arguijo, deflamenco.com, 2020-10-25)
Dominique Di Piazza | Bass
Signature “floating” right‑hand technique enabling harp‑like chords and singing melody; acts as second guitar/piano, enriching harmony and counterpoint while driving groove with elegant articulation.
“A complex right‑hand technique that has revolutionised the electric bass.” (Bass Guitar Magazine, 2009-11)
Alex Acuña | Percussion & Drums
Orchestral percussionist and jazz drummer in one body; Afro‑Peruvian roots, film‑session precision, Weather Report attack. Crafts polyrhythms that breathe with the voice and guitar.
“Alex brings humanity to the rhythm… he brings the spirit of the music.” (Brian Bromberg in DownBeat, 2022-12-27)
Latest release
Let Me See Your Heart (Le Coq Records, 2024)
Released digitally on 2024-06-07 and on CD on 2024-07-05, Let Me See Your Heart frames Andy James’ voice with an all‑star cast (John Patitucci, Alex Acuña, Jon Cowherd, John Beasley, Ronnie Foster, Terell Stafford, John Ellis, Joel Frahm, Chico Pinheiro, Steve Cardenas, Larry Koonse, Paul Jackson Jr., James Genus, Eric Wheeler; drums: Nate Smith, Clarence Penn, Rudy Royston, Johnathan Blake) with arrangements by Cowherd and Bill Cunliffe. Repertoire spans Brubeck/Desmond’s “Take Five,” Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind,” standards by Rodgers & Hammerstein and Michel Legrand, plus three originals. Early coverage in mid‑2024 underscored the album’s open, vulnerable stance and the communicative warmth of James’ delivery.
Citations
(full URLs below each quote; authors/outlets/dates included)
Andy James
“James’ smoky, enrapturing voice is a direct conduit for the emotion of a song.” — The Urban Music Scene, 2024-04-25.
https://news.theurbanmusicscene.com/2024/04/andy-james-to-release-new-album-let-me-see-your-heart/
“One of the classiest readers of standards…” — Jazz Weekly, 2024-07-22.
https://jazzweekly.com/2024/07/andy-james-let-me-see-your-heart/
“Andy James chatted about her new album ‘Let Me See Your Heart.’” — Digital Journal, 2024-08-21.
https://www.digitaljournal.com/entertainment/andy-james-talks-about-her-new-album-let-me-see-your-heart/article
“Let Me See Your Heart … on her most open and vulnerable recording to date.” — DL Media Music / Le Coq Records (press release), 2024-06-07.
https://dlmediamusic.com/artists/andy-james/andy-james-let-me-see-your-heart/
Jon Cowherd
“…powerful chemistry and technical wizardry.” — JazzTrail, 2022-08-23.
https://jazztrail.net/blog/jon-cowherd-trio-pride-and-joy-album-review
Rick Margitza
“Deeply emotive… featuring superb, clear‑toned playing.” — Making A Scene!, 2021-02-03.
https://www.makingascene.org/rick-margitza-sacred-hearts/
Juan Antonio Suárez “Canito”
“Lo mejor de Canito es que su toque no se parece a ningún otro.” — deflamenco.com, 2020-10-25.
https://www.deflamenco.com/revista/criticas/canito-la-guitarra-de-las-notas-suspendidas-1.html
Dominique Di Piazza
“A complex right‑hand technique that has revolutionised the electric bass.” — Bass Guitar Magazine, 2009-11.
https://www.bassguitar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/0909-DiPiazza.pdf
Alex Acuña
“Alex brings humanity to the rhythm… the spirit of the music.” — DownBeat, 2022-12-27.
https://downbeat.com/news/detail/alex-acuna-offers-his-gift
Reviews
(Original title — Outlet — Author — Date — URL)
