Hector Martignon – Second Chance (Zoho Music – 2010)
In a literal world the music on Second Chance would simply represent “B” sides of music that pianist, Hector Martignon has played in the past. In reality they are anything but that. It is here that Martignon has provided wicked twists to all the music he has played before—he uses the term “devilish,” which in Spanish is a word fraught with meaning. The word diabólico might be infinitely more appropriate as it has fangs and breathes a fire. But then again the connotation that the gentleman south of the earth’s core has something to do with these wondrous renditions of Martignon’s fabulous compositions and others’ work seems to negate their “purifying” fire. This is something that can only come from something quite simply stellar; very possibly even celestial, when Martignon’s piano emerges from the ensemble to make singular statements.
Martignon’s virtuoso pianism often draws from—to use an Afro-Cuban term—a tumbao, a style commanded by a resonant 8th note of the bass line that pianists of South American origin often bring to that otherwise sweeping style of playing the piano. This is what makes pianists such as Chucho Valdés, Omar Sosa and Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Roberto Fonseca and Hilario Durán so unique. Martignon occupies a similar space in the stellar regions of the piano. His style is more vocal and his choice of notes not only bounce and stomp with hidden and revealed tumbadora-like accents, they can also be heard to cry—almost weep on occasion. His phrases roll and gambol and frolic like shrill children and when he wants to sound all grown up, then they are silken and sensual.
The rhythmic Martignon unfolds with revelry throughout the album, from João Bosco’s “Bala Con Bala” a tune that is woven like a tapestry—warp or melody, quite straight until it hits a certain note, then it wobbles and bumps, but weft, always inside out and intricate as it builds a maddeningly twisting harmony. The joropo treatment of “Coqueteos” is quite simply spectacular and offers a rare chance, at least on this album, to observe breathlessly, the percussive skills of Samuel Torres and the harp of Edmar Castañeda. And while “Guaji-Rita” may be elegiac at times, it is nevertheless like that skipping return in a funeral in New Orleans. Even “Alone Together,” a chart that is normally played rather pensively is animated and keeps the heart pumped with expectation that things might change on a dime. It bears mention here that Martignon is wonderfully assisted in his rhythmic quest by his bassist, Armando Gola, drummer, Ludwig Afonso and the Colombian percussionist, Samuel Torres.
While Martignon can be wildly exciting with rhythm, he also displays a softer side, which is often coloured by wistfulness and a sense of longing that is so characteristic of artists—and certainly, highland folk—and sometimes with sensuality that is irresistibly South American. The elegiac tribute to his brother in “Andrea” and the wonderfully dreamy “Hatari,” where the full force extent of the talent of saxophonist, Xavier Perez, trumpet and flugelhorn player, John Walsh and Torres’ sensitive use of the percussion palette is heard are the true gems of this album.
The contemporary nature of this album should not go unnoticed. Despite the use of several traditional song forms, Martignon sounds modern and is indeed very forward-thinking in his approach to each and every one of them on this highly memorable album.
Tracks: Bala Con Bala; Second Chance; Coqueteos; Guaji-Rita; Andrea; She Said She Was From Sarajevo; Abre Los Ojos; Hatari; A Long Farewell; Alone Together.
Personnel: Hector Martignon: piano, accordion (7); Armando Gola: bass; Ludwig Afonso: drums; Samuel Torres: percussion; Xavier Perez: saxophones; Tim Collins: vibes (1, 2, 7, 8); Vinny Valentino: guitar (1); Edmar Castañeda: harp (3); John Walsh: trumpet, flugelhorn; Edward Perez: bass.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Hector Martignon on the web: www.foreignaffair.com
Review written by: Raul da Gama
Arturo Stable Quintet – Call (Origen Records – 2009)
There are a few times—only just a few times—when musicians are able to find the intensity in a performance where the primordial cry is so distinct that communication with the Divine is so total, it may be experienced almost like an out-of-body one. Such is the intensity with which the artists have made the compositions of Arturo Stable come alive on Call, a group effort of almost epic proportions. Firstly the itinerant work by Stable as he is breaking skin verse after verse… chorus after chorus has created kinetic energy that propels the music on the album. His ability to create a dynamic tension that creates a taut space between melody, harmony and rhythm—then fill it with almost vocal content as he slaps, brushes and coaxes a unique voice from the skins is memorable.
Stable’s style is to eschew fanciful stylistic figures throughout. Instead he is direct and forthright in his attack, brutal and honest and completely guileless. This being his forte, he is able to marshal infinite reserves of raw energy in his communication with the other musicians in his ensemble. He drives Javier Vercher, his horn and woodwinds partner, out of his comfort zone and into a realm where he now explores the heart of tones and textures with raw emotion in the phrases and lines that he plays, straight and back to front, in single—well blown—notes or in lines that meander interminably in the thick of the music’s harmony. Vercher and Ortiz exchange staccato or legato passages as they converse and toss the melodies among themselves, forming new ideas as they go along.
“Call” and “Goodbye Eternity” are exquisite examples of the primal force that propels the album, right from the eerie violin of Ian Izquierdo and the howl of Vercher’s saxophones in the former track, to the rumbling ostinato passages of Edward Perez’s bass. The musicians explore tonal ideas thoroughly, dwelling on thoughts and ideas until they are pried open and turned inside out. They do just that on “Zabana” and “Crack Attack” with remarkable effect never glossing over the social commentary of both tracks.
As the album progresses it begins to get more graphic as well. Although “Old Memories” is more elegiac and more narrative in nature, what follows thereafter is certainly vivid in the splashes of color and imagery that is employed to make various statements. There is the blinding vibrancy of “Danz Sol” and the deep and elemental desolation of “Landscape of Luz,” which is only broken with the tranquility of the kalimba, an obvious reference to the “African-ness” of all immigrations. “Spider Web” is racy and tantalizingly crafted in its own shifting tonal soundscape before it races onward into a breathless bop mode. The most emotional part of this musical journey is heard on “African Sunrise” a tour de force of color and texture, explored gradually by every instrument in the ensemble, especially the piano and the saxophones. And there is “Anthem,” a culmination of the ideas that Stable set forth in “Call,” when he opened the summons to his entourage to undertake this vivid musical journey fraught with challenge and met with memorable results, making Call an album to cherish and listen to time and time again.
Tracks: 1. Call; 2. Goodbye To Eternity; 3. Zabana; 4. Crack Attack; 5. Old Memories; 6. Danz Sol; 7. Landscape of Luz; 8. Spider Web; 9. African Sunrise; 10. Anthem.
Personnel: Arturo Stable: percussion; Aruan Ortiz: piano; Edward Perez: bass; Javier Vercher: horns and woodwinds; Ian Izquierdo: violin; Francisco Mela: drums.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Arturo Stable on the web: www.arturostable.com
Review written by: Raul da Gama
