SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL
COMPUTERJAZZMAN | Cliffside Park, New Jersey United States | 11/05/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"THIS TWO CD, ONE DVD CREATION FROM THEN-86-YEAR-OLD CUBAN PIANIST BEBO VALDES CAN ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS A WORK OF ART, A TRUE MASTERPIECE. ONE LISTEN AND YOU WILL BE HOOKED. LISTENING TO IT IS AN EDUCATION IN AFRO-CUBAN, SALSA, CHA CHA, MAMBO, & LATIN PERCUSSION MUSIC. EACH CD IS A SUITE, THE FIRST ONE FOCUSES ON THE BIG BAND MUSIC OF CUBA FROM THE 1950'S, THE SECOND CD FEATURES LATIN JAZZ IN VARIOUS FORMS, ALL PLAYED TO PERFECTION BY SOME OF NY'S BEST LATIN MUSICIANS, MOSTLY BALLADS. I HAVE ALL OF BEBO'S OLD RECORDINGS FROM CUBA (HIS BAND "SABOR DE CUBA" WAS ONE OF THE BEST AND HELPED SHAPE THE SOUND OF CUBAN MUSIC FOR YEARS TO COME): THESE MODERN RECORDINGS GO BACK TO THOSE DAYS AND HE IS IN TOP FORM. THIS MAN TOOK A 30 YEAR HIATUS FROM PLAYING MUSIC, WHAT A SHAME, BECAUSE HE IS STILL AS PROFICIENT NOW AS HE WAS YEARS AGO. FANTASTIC ARRANGEMENTS AND RECORDING. YOU WILL ENJOY THE DVD, BEBO IN NY AS WELL"