John Daversa is a hornsman to be reckoned with. Among a zillion other accolades, the longtime Angeleno's 2019 big-band album American Dreamers: Voices of Hope, Music of Freedom swept his categories at the 2019 Grammy Awards, winning the likes of best large jazz ensemble album and best improvised jazz solo for ‘Don't Fence Me In’.

But what with all current live activities – performing with his big and small band, guest conducting and soloing – stymied by the global pandemic, Daversa has found inspiration in the love and musical opportunities afforded by family in this bolero-themed project, his eighth album as a leader.

Being Chair of Studio Music and Jazz at Frost School of Music, University of Miami gave Daversa – the son of Jay Daversa, trumpet player for Stan Kenton – a hotline to superstars with similar lineages and a feel for the sweet melodies and slow-tempo rhythms of the bolero style. Cuban pianist Gonzalo (son of pianist Guillermo) Rubalcaba and Puerto Rican percussionist Sammy (son of singer Charlie) Figueroa burn bright on ‘El Ultimo Suspiro’; Cuban-American drummer Dafnis Prieto (whose father is an elevator engineer) thunders elegantly across the minute-long ‘Haciendo la misma cosa que siempre he hecho’. There are three trumpet-led tracks by Daversa Senior, and tracks variously dedicated to Daversa's daughter, grandparents and cocker spaniels.

But it's album closer ‘Can't Visit Family’ by the Pastorius-like bassist Carlos de Rosa that really hits the spot.