By: Ben Salvo
Rating: 9/11

Jazz is all about the artist tricking the music into doing something it could never do within its own limited arithmetic; in jazz the mathematics of music are thrown out and simultaneously memorialized.  Brooklyn saxophonist Buyu Ambroise accomplishes this musical double think as he brings the Afro-Beat and Caribbean influences from his Haitian origin, mixes in old-fashioned American Jazz, and keeps it all fresh and ready to face young audiences, a serious challenge these days for anything besides pop and indie rock.

Buyu gives his music life, both in its composition and its execution.  His sax—truly his own voice in the music—creeps in and out of light piano refrains between bongos and tapping cymbals.  In fact, of the instruments within the ensemble, it’s Buyu’s saxophone that seems to dance most effortlessly across the staff.  And he wouldn’t have it any other way.  He’s been perfecting his style on the instrument since he first picked it up as a high school student in Brooklyn in the ‘70s.

The title song from his second album, “Marasa,” is a heartbeat driven, solid piece of jazz, while “Piezi Mize” employs a trio of trumpet, trombone and sax to take the listener on a dynamic and tempo-pushing ride between African, Caribbean, and American music culture.  “Priye Ginen” is groovy and slow with deep sax choruses and a driving piano solo.  The muted trumpet in “Café” is an excellent partner to Buyu’s instrument.  According to his MySpace page, a third album is in the works.