Purple Room Productions

Omnivorous jazz fusion combo LehCats channels the awesome percussive power and ingenuity of conguero Giovanni Hidalgo with Live at the Breakroom, set for a March 20 release by Purple Room Productions. Captured on a night at the titular San Jose venue when Hidalgo was featured with the New York–based band led by husband-and-wife Karen (flutes, vocals) and Norbert Stachel (saxophones, flutes), the double-disc album is a superlative example of what can happen when spontaneity, unforced chemistry, and an energetic and receptive audience all converge.

Crucially, none of the six musicians working together on Live at the Breakroom knew that the performance was being videoed and multitracked. The night of October 18, 2024, was the first of two nights of engagements in the San Francisco Bay Area, with LehCats (Stachel, spelled backwards) inviting Hidalgo—among the most acclaimed and in-demand conga players in the world—to join them as special guest. They did, however, know that the performance, featuring 10 original compositions by Norbert or Karen, was on fire—which made it a delightful surprise when they discovered that it was documented for posterity.

“We realized that it was a great opportunity to produce and release a new CD,” writes Norbert Stachel in the album’s liner notes. “We felt the good vibes, and you can feel and hear great moments of high intensity and spirited interactions.”

You sure can. LehCats’ polished but driving blend of jazz, funk, and Afro-Caribbean traditions oozes with the excitement and joy of inspired creation. From the raw-edged dance beat of the opening “Step On It” and the graceful Latin flow of “Sunshine” (illuminated by both Karen Stachel’s vocal and Matt Clark’s montuno piano), to Norbert’s sleek, brawny tenor marathon on “Power Tap,” to the Stachels’ dual-flute-led slow burn on “Soul Cha Cha” and the ferocious African polyrhythms (Karen’s stellar percussive flute solo among them) that charge the closing “Mandela,” the set is positively hair-raising.

LehCats is a dynamic ensemble with shifting personnel—Bay Area pianist Clark and bassist Dan Feiszli here joining New York’s Stachels and drummer Dan Gonzalez—that builds a formidable Latin-spiced groove on its own. Yet Hidalgo’s presence on Live at the Breakroom sends that groove into hyperdrive, as heard in his dazzling solo intro to “Afrobaldi” and gritty lock-in with Gonzalez, Clark, and Feiszli on “Power Tap.” What the band thought was a one-time, ephemeral moment in San Jose instead stands as indelible proof that rhythm and music might be the most powerful unifying forces on earth.

Norbert Stachel was born in Vallejo, California and grew up just outside of Berkeley in the town of El Cerrito. Gravitating to the saxophone as a teenager, he became a friend and collaborator of Bay Area jazz multi-instrumentalist Peter Apfelbaum, which led to a remarkable career as a sideman for the likes of Prince, Sheila E., Boz Scaggs, and Tower of Power, as well as Andrew Hill, Freddie Hubbard, and Roy Hargrove.

Karen Stachel (nee Anderson) was born in Fort Lewis, Washington, the child of a military family that raised her in a nomadic base-to-base lifestyle. She began playing the flute in the third grade and became fascinated with jazz in high school, earning a jazz studies degree at California State University Hayward (where she studied and played with legendary bassist Chuck Israels) and a master’s in classical music at San Francisco State before founding the Karen Anderson Jazztet in the 1990s.

Meeting and developing their relationship on the San Francisco Bay Area music scene, Norbert and Karen married in 1996 and moved to New York in 2002, where they nonetheless maintained separate musical and professional trajectories until 2015, when they and drummer Dan Gonzalez came together to launch LehCats. The next year brought their debut album, Out of the Bag. They followed it up with 2018’s Movement to Egalitaria, with the Stachels and Gonzalez joined by a rotating cast of 28 musicians in various combinations. The unplanned but inspired recording Live at the Breakroomis LehCats’ third album.

Terri Hinte Publicity

Movement to Egalitaria

           LehCats, which is co-led by reed player Norbert Stachel and flutist-singer Karen Stachel, can be thought of as their version of World Jazz as reflected by the mixture of musical cultures that they experience in the San Francisco Bay area. The Stachels, who are joined by a variety of rhythm section players who bring in rhythms from across the globe, perform original melodies that reflect the influences of many cultures, particularly from Latin and South America with a taste of the Mideast (“Meshugaza”) and Africa.

            Movement To Egalitaria salutes a fictional land where human rights reign supreme; sort of like the idealized (if somewhat lost) dream of the United States. Norbert Stachel is featured on flute, tenor (taking a fiery solo on “Step On It”), alto, soprano and bass clarinet while Karen Stachel is heard on flutes, piccolo and an occasional vocal. Among the other soloists who make strong impressions are pianists Axel Laugart and Edsel Gomez, guitarists Mike Stern (who is blazing on “Doppler Effect”) and Bob Lanzetti, and bassist Peter Washington. The large supporting cast includes such notables as drummer Lenny White, bassist Lennie Plaxico, guitarists Ray Obiedo and Will Bernard, and percussionist Pete Escovedo.

            The music, even with its variety of rhythms, is primarily straight ahead (although with a few funkier selections), melodic and swinging. The fresh melodies, happy and optimistic vibes, and high musicianship make Movement To Egalitaria a musical journey well worth taking.  Los Angeles Jazz Scene -  

Scott Yanow

Although you may not know it Latin Jazz is making a rebound. It is on the up-and-up. 

In 2011, for example, the Grammys doing away with the category of ‘Best Latin Jazz’ caused an uproar within the music industry. Many cried loud and hard and the award was reinstated a year later. In 2017, the industry seemed to balk at more recent developments within the genre, choosing instead to recognize older, established artist’s, such as pianist Chucho Valdes-who founded the legendary latin jazz band Irakere, bassist Andy Gonzalez, and trombonist Wayne Wallace. 

So much for the Grammys. While those named above were trailblazers in their own right, each is over 60. They represented an earlier era and sound which would be considered classic Latin Jazz.  But like other jazz sub-genres I have heard lately, Latin jazz has become a backbone, a caldron in which many other elements have been blended.  

One possible reason? When a soloist performs, much of the shape of his/her improvisations is determined by the rhythm. The basic 4/4 jazz rhythm will cause a different kind of movement than, say, a samba or a bomba. This process is expertly executed in the work of Karen & Norbert Stachel-better known as LehCats (an anagram for Stachel)- on their recent CD Movement to Egalitaria. 

Such is the case with many pieces on this CD, including the opening selection Soul Cha-Cha. The sixteen bar melody-with Karen featured on piccolo recalling the early Hubert Laws-gives way to series of loose yet deliberate exchanges between Karen and bassist Ricky Encarnacion. This track also proves that the use of the piccolo has reached the projection Laws made in 1965 that ‘despite its small size…the piccolo will someday give the flute some real competition’ 

 Title track Movement to Egalitaria, sets forth a political/cultural goal of an egalitarian vision. Beginning with a dark mood, almost M-Base in its structure suggesting a current dark, hopeless world for many of us, the tune moves into more festive, upbeat traditional Latin Rhythms. 

Karen’s telling vocals are featured on Sunshine. Her affection comes through despite some lacking vocal technique. A short, at times perpendicular piano solo from Edsel Gomez follows, then another change in rhythm gives Norbert-on Tenor- the opportunity to exchange breaks with his wife on piccolo. His Brecker-ish tone is contemporary, but not ‘smooth’. 

Doppler Effect is something else again. Though the rhythm is traditional, long melodic statements are backed by electric bass and guitar which suggest the influence of fusion, if not heavy metal. Mike Stern-one of several top-drawer players on the date-has a powerful solo. He is, of course, a fusion veteran having worked with Miles Davis, Jaco Pastorius and others. 

Mandela is another tune of contrasting moods: Down and yet celebratory in this, the 100th anniversary of the great South African activist, prison detainee and president.  

The appropriately titled 9 lives (shouldn’t it be 18?) is tune that is in straight 4/4 time. Karen’s mysterious and sultry- quasi-scat vocals dubbed in unison with her flute playing is a most effective contrast to the feel of the other selections. Then Gomez plays a solo which tiptoes around his influences, Hancock and Tyner, yet is artistically original enough to be called his own. Norbert then executes a rare feat: A bass flute solo. The use of the upper register of the instrument makes me wonder why he did not use an alto or C flute. Perhaps the timbre plus the contrasting, occasional use of the lower register of the instrument is why.  A thematic interlude is followed by brief solo by guitarist Bob Lanzetti which takes out the tune. His tone-in contrast to Stern-is that of a traditional jazz guitarist, such as Kenny Burrell or Grant Green. 

Shifting rhythms and a dynamic solo by Norbert-at times reminiscent of Lenny Pickett-characterize Step On It. The tune ends on an unresolved tonic. 

Celia’s Bomba features a solo by Karen which is more reminiscent of the sound of the ‘60’s-at least to my ears.  Its changing rhythms, however, are ear catching and perhaps stylistically more contemporary. 

Goodbye Elgin Park-again a more traditional jazz tune in 4-is a warm vocal ballad sung by Karen. It makes compelling use of devices which make traditional jazz ballads romantic, but not saccharine: Blues, swing, dissonance and fine solos by pianist Gomez and veteran N.Y. bassist, Peter Washington. Master drummer Lenny White-late of 70’s fusion band Return to Forever, but also more traditional/modern jazz artist’s Freddie Hubbard and Joe Henderson- is on hand. 

Meshugaza has a compelling eastern sound and a propulsion which gives it a quasi-radical quality. Pianist Gary Fisher explores several different harmonic directions in his short, but compelling solo.  Gimmick-free use of effects characterize the solo by guitarist Will Bernard. 

The CD closes with the syncopated rhythm-horn interaction of Mopar’s Song, a decidedly traditional Latin rhythm; yet more contemporary melodically and thematically. 

Some have recently suggested that Latin Jazz has a surge in creativity because of looser, pure and less academic sounding quality than traditional jazz. While this may be true, Mr. & Mrs. Stachel prove on Movement to Egalitaria that when one blends the virtues of ethnic purity, virtuoso musicianship and mix those in the caldron with a variety of classic and contemporary ideas to support a vision of hope, the future of Latin Jazz can only be a bright one."  

Cadence Jazz Magazine - Fred Kellogg

"LEHCATS/Movement to Egalitaria: I thought records like this only got made with grants from somewhere. Is it world? Is it fusion? Is it mind blowing? Yes across the board. With a guest list that the unlimited space afforded by thumb drives was created for, this set is well on it's way to being a standard bearer that future dates are going to have to measure up against. Not for those who don't want to disrupt the status quo, this is a fine slice of tomorrow today.…" 

Midwest Records

"Heat loving, sun seeking chachinos, smile for the camera, feel your red platelets gliding, it's always a beautiful day with Soul Cha Cha in your blood." -Fiona 

Ord-Shrimpton, All About Jazz

"It would be great if more fusion music was this diverse. I find that so much of the ‘fusion’ out there by the big-name ‘fusion’ acts still out there sound very much the same as they’ve been doing for nearly 40 years. In other words-it hasn’t evolved too much yet. You’ve done the music a huge favor by writing diverse, interesting, unexpected good music in that vein. For whatever is left of the fusion genre."  ... 

Paul Hanson, Grammy Nominated Jazz Bassoonist and Composer

Out of the Bag

'"LOST AND FOUND' is well arranged with great musicianship. Reggae music is hard to resist and here too, 'JAMAICA EXPRESS' is pulling you in with the great feel. I loved the soft caressing sound of 'TACOMA RAIN' really exquisite and the extravaganza dished out in 'NATIONS AND RESTORATION'! Stunning album!..." 

Wouter Kellerman 

"Norbert Stachel and his wife Karen along with the other talented musicians who make up the band LehCats are in their element with this marvelous album. Some of the tracks I especially loved are "Slow March to the Showers of No Return" is somber and heavy piece that mesmerized. "Lost and Found" is a folk sounding track with a great flute performance. "Can You Share a Moment" is a joyous and the piccolo in this track is so very well played :-) The Flute in contrast provides a husky, very earthy sound....loved it! "Tacoma Rain" with its ambient sounds is another wonderful composition and the romance of the track just wrapped its cloak around me :-).  "Midtown Madness" has a frantic pace to it, the winding melody captivating. Stachel's saxophone improvisations are magnificent! Another track I'd like to mention here is "Just Cause", the piano is wonderful and tenor saxophone and flute are blended into a gorgeous amalgam :-). Out of the Bag is a jazz musician's dream come true. The compositions are all fantastic and the production of this album is exceptional :-):-) :-)'" 

Ricky Kej 2015 Grammy Award Winner Best World Music Album