Salsa arrangements get Oldziey’s jazz aesthetic

George Oldziey plays piano, writes film scores, loves jazz. He’s most renowned for his musical collaborations with Austin filmmaker Robert Rodriguez. But deep down, Oldziey has always had a soft spot in his heart for Latin music, Latin rhythm. It’s a passion that goes back 30 years, to his college days, when he played trumpet in salsa bands in his native New Jersey.

Re-connecting with those old spirits, Oldziey (pronounced Old-zhay) recently put together his own band — GATO 6 — and recorded an album of horn-happy, sophisticated Latin jazz. It’s a cool album: Lively cha-cha, 9:30 p.m. Friday Elephant Room, 315 Congress Ave.

473-2279; www.elephantroom.com salsa, samba and cumbia with Blue Note-worthy horn arrangements.

“I’ve always loved Latin music. Those rhythms have always been a part of me,” says Oldziey, whose band plays the Elephant Room at 9:30 p.m. Friday. “I love jazz and be-bop, too.” But in terms of energy and rhythm, Latin music “is like driving a Porsche, compared to, say, an elegant Mercedes.”

“El Viento” is an ambitious record. Oldziey composed the music Ellington-style, writing parts specifically tai- lored to the key players in his band — Austin saxophonist John Mills and Houston trumpet player Dennis Dotson. All the tunes are originals with the exception of “Unchain My Heart,” the Ray Charles standard that Oldziey transforms into a joyful, jazzy cha-cha with the help of his wife, jazz singer Suzi Stern.

“Most salsa arrangements don’t have a lot of harmonic development. They’re mostly screaming brass and powerful singing,” says Oldziey, who plays piano in GATO 6. “What I tried to do was superimpose a jazz aesthetic over that tone, to produce less predictable lines.”