As with numerous other projects to have originated in London since 2011, this album by the New Regency Orchestra has generated considerable interest and made a significant impact on the music scene. It is also a product of the Total Refreshment Centre (TRC). This creative hub, which originated as a live music venue in Hackney, London, has since evolved into one of the world’s most significant recording studios. It serves as a convergence point, exchange hub, and incubator for the British capital’s music scene. The 18-piece New Regency Orchestra is not only a product of the TRC, but also the brainchild of its Parisian director, Lex Blondin.
He and his fellow musicians are undertaking a project that takes them back to the first half of the 20th century, when Puerto Ricans and Cubans were a significant part of the jazz scene. This Nuyorican fantasy soars through contemporary Latin jazz, somewhere between Cab Calloway’s »Minnie The Moocher« and the Afro-Cuban excursions of Dizzy Gillespie—alongside scene legends Mongo Santamaria and Chano Pozo. It has the potential to spark a new wave. I believe that would fit in well with the Total Refreshment Centre.
