Search - Jesús Alemañy, Alfredo Rodriguez :: Jesus Alemany's ¡Cubanismo! feat. Alfredo Rodriguez

This music is energetic, emotional, and professional!

HOT MIX | 04/15/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As a Florida International University student, my assighnment was to review a CD I had never heard before. I casually ran into this one. Thank God that I did! What beautiful music! I was never aware of how much energy, sesuality, and eomotion traditional Cuban music contained. The performances by Jesus Alemany and Alfredo Rodriguez are outstanding. Because the music on this album is danceble, I would recommend it to both jazz lovers and Latin dancers. For my assignment I have listened to the album many times. As a result, I have been able to enjoy all of the musical details found in this album. I am greatful to have had the chance to increase my knowledge and appreciation for Cuban music so early in my life."

Great trumpet/big band jazz music

David K. Keefauver | Port Lavaca, TX USA | 08/29/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a fantastic C.D. if you like trumpet music/jazz music with very little vocal. Jesus Alemany must be one of the greatest trumpet players. The only C.D. I would recommend ahead of this is The Best of Arturo Sandoval. Arturo's music is also out of this world."

4 1/2* You Ready to RUMBA?!

M. Allen Greenbaum | California | 09/29/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an extremely satisfying collection of Cuban songs performed by a band of virtuosi fronted by the great trumpet player, Jesus Alemany. It's an excellent introduction to the range of Cuban jazz, as the dance tracks include such rhythms as rumba, cha-cha, son, danzon, and pa'ca. The musicians are uniformly excellent, but I was especially impressed by the three Alemany family members on trumpet, Orlando Valle on flute (an instrument that I don't usually enjoy that much), excellent jazz riffs by pianist Alfredo Rodriguez, and underneath it all, the incessant, overlapping percussive section (including the following instruments: timbale, conga, bongo, guiro, claves, and quinto). Tanto Guines is one of the great modern percussionists; he and Miguel Aurelio Diaz move these pieces along with their complex, rumbling beats. The percussion section, by the way, is very well recorded



The CD also cuts across various strains of jazz: Big band (with big blaring solos), some modern dissonance (the saxophonists and pianist play some beautiful abstract riffs that are great 1950's bop) and some straight ahead mainstream numbers. These latter songs (e.g., "Aprovecha") are relaxing and danceable, but also the least compelling. Fortunately, most of the songs take more risks. Unlike another reviewer here, I thought the horn section was tight, the sections and the band as a whole work well together. Towards the end, a few of the cuts on this long album lose some energy as the dance sensibility gets more weight than the jazz. I think mixing in some live performances would have added excitement and enabled a more personal feeling to the band. Granted, they don't showboat it, but the briefly spoken phrase by the drummer at the end of the last song added a "presence" that was almost electrifying. An excellent large ensemble introduction to the genre.

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