Rebecca Cline & Hilary Noble (Enclave) – Diaspora (2008)

In Diaspora, the quartet, Enclave, comprising the pianist Rebecca Cline, saxophonist and flutist, Hilary Noble, bassist, Fernando Huergo and percussionist, Steve Langone have a wonderful follow up to their eponymously titled first record. Cline and Noble specifically appear to be in good company – with the likes of Jane Bunnett and Larry Cramer, as a serious musical duo [...]

Fito Garcia – Mi Bajo Rumbero (Garra Music – 2009)

Fito Garcia has taken a small albeit bold step with the making of this record, Mi Bajo Rumbero. There is a sincere attempt to explore the harmonics of the bass as a critical voice in the creation of music. The German bassist, Eberhard Weber made a memorable record in this vein several years ago and on Pendulum (ECM, 1993). Weber did just that: using ingenious electronics and live playing [...]

Antonio Valdetaro & Group – Letícia (Independent, Brasil 2009)

What stands out immediately about this record Letícia is the ebullient mood that is struck with the first few notes of “Segura e Sai.” From then on the music gets busier but retains its sense of “alegria.” A warning, however: it pays not to me misled by the nature of the tracks that flow one after the other. Valdetaro and his group do a fine job of masking the true complexity of the songs [...]

Yuri Juarez – Afroperuano (Saponegro Records 2009)

It may not happen from the first note, but soon the music on Afroperuano begins to magically evoke the sound of the wind rushing through the rarified air of the Peruvian Andes. It is also possible to feel the swishing of skirts and the infectious gaiety of dancers as the fleet fingers of Yuri Juarez glide and fly across the neck of his guitar [...]

Hamlet & his Latin Jazz Experience – Descarumbiando (2009)

The Latin Jazz wave is old hat. There are too many hangers-on; too many copy cats and not enough original thinking musicians. But in contrast, the serious craftsmen and women are getting more skilled and penetrating the soul of the Latin ethos – some even growing something akin to “mi Alma Latina” actually. And, of course jazz is today’s “classical” music [...]

Gabriel Espinosa – From Yucatan To Rio (Zoho Music 2009)

The journey from Yucatan to Rio was a really smooth one. It was brimful with samba and bossa nova, with a little baroque thrown in probably the happy memory of a childhood resplendent withy the music of Bach and Vivaldi. And there is plenty of everything in evidence on the record that Gabriel Espinosa has produced to commemorate his spirit journey from the place of his birth [...]

Afrodisian Orchestra – Mediterraciones (BarCo 2009)

Few records in 2009 are going to have such an impact on the world of music as the Afrodisian Orchestra’s Mediterraciones. This is because there are few, just a few musicians – even native Spanish ones – who have come to imbibe completely the incredible ethos of Spain. The myriad influences – from religious (Jewish, Christian, Muslim…) to ethnic (Western Gothic, Moorish, [...]