Latin-flavored instrumental jazz is making significant inroads in the music world of 2025 with case in point being the album release of Día Precioso! by composer Ron Rieder. With all the music composed by Ron Rieder, the 8-track, 33-minute album is buoyant and positive and filled with the many different colors of Latin jazz fusion. 

Filled to the brim with the beats and rhythms of the Samba, Mambo, Tango and a variety of South American sounds, and with Ron Rieder composing the music, the album features a range of musicians that is driven further by the energetic percussion of album producer Ricardo Monzon. 

The follow-up to Ron Rieder’s first album, Latin Jazz Sessions, the Día Precioso! album was recorded in Acton, Massachusetts while the all-instrumental approach assures that all kinds of jazz and World Beat listeners from around the world will appreciate it. 

Although the album reveals the colorful, positive sounding nature of Ron Rieder’s compositions, several tracks also reveals a more introspective vibe to his music, apparent on the album closer “Volver a Amar”. Whatever style of Latin music you are enamored of, you’re sure to find that and more on the optimistic sound of Día Precioso! 

 

RMR speaks to Ron Rieder

RMR: Tell us about recording Día Precioso! and working with Ricardo Monzon. How did you meet Ricardo and how did the new album evolve following the release of your first album Latin Jazz Sessions? Can you compare the differences between your two albums and what did Ricardo bring to the recording sessions?

Ron Rieder: I first met Ricardo during the recording of Latin Jazz Sessions where he played percussion. Ricardo has a deep understanding of all types of Latin music and was instrumental in providing the nuances that contributed heavily to the recording’s authenticity. Ricardo was also very involved in the mixing of that recording. 

At the time, Ricardo expressed an appreciation for the eclectic nature of the project. After learning of his skills as an arranger, it was apparent to us both our respective strengths complimented each other and we agreed to collaborate on a new project.

I think the primary difference between Día Precioso! and the earlier recording is the introduction of brass and overall refinement. Ricardo’s arrangements and orchestrations successfully captured the essence of the compositions and their uplifting nature without sacrificing a drop of spontaneity. 

The tracks “Dizzy Hechizo” and “Volver a Amar”, and the respective music video, are examples of refinement. To my ears, the melodies and chords of each, when complimented by Ricardo’s sometimes edgy contrapuntal lines, transcend typical bebop and tango arrangements and bring something new to the listener.

 

RMR: Tell us about getting into music and about some of your early influences. I noticed that while you composed the music on Día Precioso! you didn’t play an instrument per se on the album. Do you view yourself more as a composer than a musician that plays an instrument? How did you compose the music on the Día Precioso! album and tell us something about the way you compose music.

Ron Rieder: I started seriously listening to jazz as a teenager growing up in the Boston area and going to shows at the iconic venue, the Jazz Workshop. There, I was exposed to a wide range of great jazz artists from McCoy Tyner to Charles Mingus to Rahsaan Roland Kirk to Pharaoh Sanders to Chick Corea and Airto Moreira! As I reminisce, the first show I went to at the Jazz Workshop was to hear the Latin tenor player Gato Barbieri. It was exhilarating!

It was truly an exciting time. Jazz was newly electrified, fusion was becoming the rage, and Latin rhythms and harmony were being assimilated into the jazz vocabulary as fast as they could be absorbed. 

It had been my dream to go to the Berklee School of Music to become a jazz guitarist. However, my father had other ideas about my future and he was paying the tuition. So, I instead began studying science and took music theory classes whenever possible. And to my surprise, I discovered being creative was not exclusive to the arts and ultimately enjoyed a satisfying career in the physical sciences. However, I never stopped composing music and with a gentle push from the pandemic, I decided to make composing my exclusive vocation. Some of the musical ideas from that period were incorporated into songs recorded on Latin Jazz Sessions.

As you point out, I do not play at all on any of the recordings. This is by design. The goal of these recordings is to produce world class performances of my compositions to be able to listen to them at their best.

I primarily compose on the piano. For me, composing is the process of expressing a complete thought and doing so in the most succinct manner. The goal is to communicate one’s ideas, even complicated ideas, to the listener as simply and clearly as possible. 

It is also important to write music that musicians want to play. So providing an interesting platform for the musicians to express themselves on only heightens the listening experience.

How did Dia Precioso! come about? What I love most about Latin jazz is it makes me feel good while listening to it. We are currently living in difficult times. I wanted to make a recording that provides a respite from all of the disruption. Ricardo helped me accomplish this.

After Latin Jazz Sessions was recorded I had been working on a number of new ideas for Afro-Cuban based compositions that I was struggling to finish. Ricardo imparted the discipline I needed to complete these pieces. That is how Dia Precioso! was borne.

 

RMR: When did you become drawn to Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz and what artists do you feel best represents that sound and influence? What are the differences between Afro-Cuban, Brazilian and Latin jazz styles and what albums and artists of the genre influenced you most?

Ron Rieder: My Latin music education is one of an American growing up in the 1960’s and 70’s. I can think of two formative moments: I was already somewhat aware of Chick Corea as a jazz pianist. However, it wasn’t until the day I heard his recording, Light As A Feather, that my entire musical world got wondrously turned upside down - the sound of a Fender electric piano playing samba! And from there, my discovery of Brazilian music, and notably, Sergio Mendez, commenced.

A second altering experience happened in the early 1990’s when I first heard Jesús Alemañy and his group Cubanisimo playing on the radio and later in concert. The discovery of clave mixed with jazz revealed a world I had little knowledge of and vast possibilities! 

The element common to both of those musical genres is they made me feel so good while listening to them.

 

RMR: You have a number of musicians playing on Día Precioso! Who assembled such a large and talented cast of musicians and what where some of the recording sessions like? Was the music recorded live or was it overdubbed and or dialed in and what was it like recording at Wellspring Sound in Acton Massachusetts? Massachusetts is not usually known for Latin jazz but tell us more about recording there and I presume you live there too.

Ron Rieder: Boston has the Berklee School of Music. All of the musicians playing on the recordings are associated with Berklee and/or New England Conservatory, located up the street, and are highly accomplished. Claudio Ragazzi, guitar, has won a Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Recording for his album Jazz Tango as well as an EMMY; Mark Walker, drums, won a Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Recording for his work with Pacquito D’Rivera on the album, Funk Tango; Mike Tucker, tenor, is currently playing saxophone with Arturo Sandoval’s touring band; Yaure Muñiz, trumpet, has toured with the Buena Vista Social Club, the Afro Cuban All-stars, and Cubanisimo; Dave Harris, trombone, is a composer/orchestrator for the Jazz Composers Alliance; and that barely scratches the surface for this esteemed group of musicians! It was a humbling experience for me working with this extraordinary group who were charged with making my compositions come alive.

All of the musicians were recruited by Ricardo Monzon, also a professor at Berklee, as part of his role as producer. Many of the same musicians played on my debut recording as well.

Boston has a very active group of Latin players and fortunately for me, they have all played together at different times and are well acquainted with each other’s playing. This is important for projects such as mine and ensures the musicians sound like a band rather than a collection of random players hired for an afternoon. 

Of equal importance are the creative contributions, both large and small, musicians of this caliber bring to the music. This includes both adding nuance of the genre through their playing, and overt suggestions throughout the session.

Dia Precioso! was mostly recorded “live” with the exception of Yaure Muñiz’s trumpet parts that had to be recorded separately after he was struck down by the flu the night before the first session! Also, Ricardo played the congas and Timbau (Brazilian hand drum) live with the other musicians, and overdubbed additional percussion tracks afterwards.

For those unfamiliar with the mechanics of recording, “live” in this case means the musicians were sequestered into hot stuffy isolation booths only able to communicate with the outside world via a pair of headphones, a microphone, and a small window. The ability for musicians to be recorded and sound like a coherent group is a skill itself.

I have now recorded three projects at Wellspring Sounds. Wellspring is a popular no-frills studio and has been in the business of recording music for a very long time. While there are other studios that are more luxurious, I personally find Wellspring’s lack of pretense very much to my liking and conducive to a creative environment. It reminds me of my own music work room.

 

RMR: What plans do you have for 2025 as far as composing and recording and performing live concerts and videos?

Ron Rieder: Because my taste in music is eclectic, it probably would not surprise you to learn I also write straight ahead jazz tunes. I have recently completed a session featuring John Lockwood, Maxim Lubarsky, Yaure Muñiz, Mike Tucker, and Mark Walker playing 11 of these straight ahead jazz compositions (no clave!). I anticipate its release in the late fall of 2025. These sessions were a wonderful experience for everyone involved and provided a platform for these musicians to express themselves with artistic freedom not usually encountered in session work. 

In the meantime, I continue to work with Ricardo Monzon writing music that makes people feel good as we contemplate our next project.