Dynamic, suggestive, classy.
smoothjazz_views | Beverly Hills, CA | 02/16/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Roberto Fonseca is one of the most dazzling pianists and accompanists in Cuba.
Although he hasn't quite delivered the big one yet, Fonseca -- best known to us as the young jazz pianist who was parachuted into the Buena Vista Social Club -- is unquestionably a serious talent in the making.
The piano prodigy's success is in no small part down to having had a stable working relationship with the same core group for the last twelve years. The other major reason is the accessibility and eclecticism of his original melodies, which are rooted in Cuban styles, but show that he has his ears wide open to the world of Latin music, jazz and beyond.
His last solo album continues the Buena Vista links with appearances from Omara Portuondo and the late Cachaito López, but now he has set out to highlight a range of other influences, from Europe to Africa, presenting a recording of virtuosic, Latin-flavoured modern jazz that is old fashioned in the best sense.
This leading young Cuban pianist has made another wide-ranging and accomplished album.
"Akokan" follows a similar template to "Zamazu", and comes across as a slightly more mature and subdued work.
While his vivacious Afro-Latin technique is given a thorough workout (shades of Chick Corea at times) he has a more reflective, soulful side to his armoury, too.
He starts, as on "Zamazu", with an unaccompanied fragment of a mass, sung by his mother, Mercedes Cortes Alfaro. Then he's away with the virtuoso workout "Lo Que Me Hace Vivir", which starts as a lyrical reminder of his gift for melody, then rapidly moves on to stomping R&B and a furious jazz jam.
The mood regularly changes, from the lyrical "Como En Las Peliculas" (an instrumental inspired by films and dedicated to France), to the east European edge of Bulgarian.
Then there's a pleasantly drifting song from the Cape Verdean star Mayra Andrade, who comes close to stealing the show with her guest slot on "Siete Potencias", while Venezuela's singer-guitarist Raul Midón sings in English a lovely soul/jazzy ballad "Everyone Deserves a Second Chance". There's even a brief vocal from Fonseca himself.
Perhaps the most striking piece is "Drume Negrita", which has a cool, relaxed vibe and features some lovely sax work by Zalba.
All in all, it is classy offering, though a little bit redundant at times.
Buena Vista Social Club
Buena Vista Social Club Presents Ibrahim Ferrer
Gracias
Zamazu
Storia Storia
"
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1
