Search - Francisco Aguabella :: Agua De Cuba

Latin-jazz fans have another treat coming in the form of percussionist Francisco Aguabella. A native of the Matanzas region of Cuba, an area steeped in African tradition, Aquabella emigrated to the U.S. in 1957 and became an essential ingredient in the evolution of Latin jazz, influencing everyone from Mongo Santamaria to Poncho Sanchez. Agua de Cuba makes it easy to see why Aguabella's been so influential, with a handful of cover tunes, ranging from Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man" to Miles Davis's "Milestones" to a ballad rendition of the Beatles' "Here, There and Everywhere." Collectively, these songs sound like they could be the imaginary result of Grant Green, John Patton, or Lou Donaldson journeying to Havana in around 1968 or so. The real fire, though, comes on Aguabella's own more distinctly Afro-Cuban originals like the title cut, "Dajomy Blue," and "Salsa Latina," where syncopated Cuban montunos mesh with intricately woven congas and percussion for an exhilarating and irresistible result. --Ezra Gale