Bass Player: Carlito Henriquez

For nearly two decades, Carlos Henriquez, 39, has been the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s bass specialist. In that role, he’s accompanied the band on some of its most memorable forays, including a historic 2010 trip to Cuba, for which he also served as music director.

In recent years, the Bronx native of Puerto Rican descent has pursued a solo career as well. His first album as a leader, The Bronx Pyramid, was released in 2015. Last year, he released Dizzy Con Clave, a vibrant exploration of the Afro-Latin jazz tradition and an energetic tribute to Dizzy Gillespie. “He was a main ambassador for us jazz-wise, in terms of bridging cultures and just trying to let people know that we’re all one,” Henriquez says. “That’s what I do with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.” In November, at Jazz at Lincoln Center, he debuted a 10-movement suite, The South Bronx Story, to be released as an album later this year.

The track ‘Awakening’ is from the Wynton Marsalis ballet, ‘Ghost Story’ and was made available along with another ballet suite ‘Sweet Release’ on an album released in 1999. The chart presents some interesting challenges in terms of bar lengths and cross bar phrasing but has some really engaging moments.