Jerry Bravo - Can’t Wait to Get Started
(Jerry Bravo Music, 2025)
It is a great pleasure to introduce to the Hungarian audience the latest and highly remarkable album by Jerry Bravo, which has already achieved significant success on the American jazz market upon its release.
Born in Venezuela and relocating to the United States with his family in 1977, Bravo has become a defining figure in the Central Florida jazz scene. As a bassist and electric bassist with a career spanning more than four decades, he has collaborated with some of the most respected musicians in the genre. Many of the ensembles he has been part of have gone on to become Grammy-winning or Grammy-nominated productions, securing their place in jazz history.
Can’t Wait to Get Started marks a special milestone in Bravo’s artistic journey: it is his first solo album, and in every detail reflects his refined musical taste, artistic maturity, and exceptionally high professional standards.
The album presents a distinctive big band sound, rooted in the traditional format but enriched with modern electric elements. At times, distorted electric guitar solos bring a fresh, contemporary color to the overall sound, while the core values of traditional jazz remain intact throughout.
A strong big band mindset permeates the entire recording: the solid and confident bass playing provides a firm foundation for the rich and sophisticated arrangements.
In terms of repertoire, the program is dominated by classic swing and authentic Latin influences, further elevated by outstanding guest soloists. Each track offers space for different musicians to shine, while all twelve recordings remain purely instrumental.
Bravo’s professionalism is evident not only in his performance but also in the fact that the entire orchestration of the album is his own work. In this sense, the release can almost be considered a composer’s album: the majority of the material consists of original compositions, with only two exceptions
the French chanson classic “La Vie En Rose” and Duke Ellington’s timeless piece “Perdido” serving as tributes to the greats of jazz.
Highlighting individual soloists would almost be unnecessary: every contributing musician delivers high-level, emotionally rich jazz performances, each playing an essential role in shaping the album’s cohesive and powerful sound.
Can’t Wait to Get Started is available on all digital platforms and can also be purchased on CD. However, the full depth and spatial richness of the big band sound undoubtedly unfold most completely on vinyl. For listeners seeking a truly immersive and complex musical experience, this album is not to be missed.
Let us hope that Jerry Bravo will soon delight us again with another production of equally high artistic quality.
⸻
Tracklist
• Alicia’s Samba
• Beautiful and Sweet
• A Fresh New Start
• Can’t Wait to Get Started
• I’ll Miss You Again
• Papi’s Bounce
• Star’s Funk
• Song for Jazz
• Flowers for Mom
• La Vie En Rose
• My True Love
• Perdido
⸻
Personnel
Jerry Bravo – Executive Producer / Producer
Richard Bravo – Co-Producer
Mike Levine – Piano / Electric Piano (2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12)
Milton Salcedo – Piano / Electric Piano / Organ Synth (1, 5, 7, 10, 11)
Manny Lopez – Guitars
Dr. Ed Calle – Saxes, Clarinet (3, 10), Flute, Bass Clarinet, Oboe (3)
Julio Diaz – Trumpets
Jorge Dobal – Trombones
Jeff Thomas – Bass Trombone (12)
Teddy Mulet – Trumpet Solo (12)
Kathy Tait Thomas – French Horns (3)
Kathleen Attanasi – Harp (3)
Mark Goldberg – Timpani (3)
Adalberto Bravo Jr – Cavaquinho (8)
Isaiah Bravo – Percussion (8)
Emmanuele Bravo – Percussion (8)
Strings – Pedro Alfonso and Xtring
Lee Levin – Drums (2, 4, 6, 9, 10, 12)
Richard Bravo – Drums (1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 11), Percussion
Jerry Bravo – Upright / Electric Bass