Federico Britos – Voyage (Sunnyside Records – 2010)

As the world continues to awake to the rising tide of undiscovered music and musicians from the South American paradigm—in an almost ironic kind of reversal of Alejo Carpentier’s voyage of musical discovery in Los Pasos Perdidos (E.D.I.A.P.S.A, 1953) or to the English-speaking world The Lost Steps (Alfred Knopf, 1956, Univ. of Minnesota, 2001)—the Cuban violinist Federico Britos celebrates five decades in the lonely and all but forgotten Chair of the Magisterium of South American Music with a spectacular Sunnyside offering, Voyage. This sojourn, documented at several moments in time is a dazzling journey featuring the violinist who was acknowledged as being somewhat untouchable in improvisational virtuosity by the great Jascha Heifetz as far back as 1959. The album also forms a monumental edifice that pays tribute to the melding of several idioms in improvised music and dance forms that characterize the music of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Federico Britos thrills throughout. His violin soars with sublime glissandi. It flutters and lets out melodious cries of triumph as he invents phrases and lines that revitalize old melodies. Britos ascends great heights of sound filling the silent spaces with speech-like gasps, high and mighty wails and epic moans that collide to create astounding sounds—beautiful, definitive arias hover and dance in the waning moments of their own music as the moments die into the past. However every moment of each song is a quantum packet of beauteous energy from the elegiac ballad to his wife, “Vivian” to the irresistibly seductive “Vivian Flavia de las Mercedes” and the memorable flamenco call and response of “Tomatito & Federico” a duet with the virtuoso Spanish guitarist, Tomatito.

Among the other gems on the album are the luminous versions of “Moonglow” and “Avalon” featuring Bucky Pizzarelli, a spectacular descarga—a hot Cuban jam—with the late bassist, Israel “Cachao” Lopez and two wonderful songs on which Puertorican conguero, Giovanni Hidalgo stretches majestically. The first is Rafael Hernandez’s “Capullito de Aleli” and the second is a track that closes the album on a high note, “Micro Suite Cubana.” On the latter, Hidalgo’s virtuosity is almost palpable and his wonderful solo throws the otherwise calm Britos into a violin frenzy of sorts as he reaches in to the uppermost register of his magnificent instrument, to play trill after trill of almost impossibly high notes with clarity and spectacular effect.

It is impossible to resist superlatives as Britos engages in triangular, quadrangular conversations with special other guests on Voyage. Bassist, Eddie Gomez, pianists Michel Camilo and Kenny Barron thrill to his music and respond in equal measure on “Vivian Flavia de las Mercedes” and “After You’ve Gone” respectively. The vastly underrated talents of pianist and arranger Carlos Franzetti are also represented here as is the percussion genius of Ignacio Berroa. These major artists, together with a myriad others make Federico Britos’ Voyage utterly irresistible.

Tracks: Vivian; After You’ve Gone; Vivian Flavia de las Mercedes; Moonglow; Tomatito & Federico; Capullito de Aleli; Las Vegas Station; Lluvia de Colores; Avalon; A Las Cuatro de la Manana; Okey Paganini; Oriente; Micro Suite Cubana.

Personnel: Federico Britos: violin (violin ensemble and soloist 1), arrangements (2 – 5, 8 – 12); Carlos Franzetti: piano and arrangements ( 1, 7); Eddie Gomez: double bass (1, 7); Ignacio Berroa: drums (1, 7); Leonardo Suarez Paz: violin (1, 7); Kristof Witek: violin (1, 7); Hector Falcon: violin; Federico Britos: violin (1, 7); Ron Lawrence: viola (1, 7); Zackaria Enikeev: viola (1, 7); Jessy Levy: cello (1, 7); Garo Yellin: cello (1, 7); Kenny Barron: piano (2); Phil Flanigan: double bass (2); Francisco Mela: drums (2); Michel Camilo: piano (3); James Chirillo: guitar (4, 9); Jon Burr: double bass (4, 9); Tomatito: guitar (5); Giovanni Hidalgo: congas and chekere (6, 13); Felix Gomez: piano (6, 10, 13), arrangements (6); Eddie “Guagua” Rivera: baby bass (6, 10, 13); Edwin Bonilla: percussion (6, 10, 13); Bucky Pizzarelli: guitar (9); Gaby Vivas: double bass (8, 11, 12); Antonio Adolfo: piano (8); Carlomagno Araya: drums (8); Israel “Cachao” Lopez: double bass; Jorge Vivas: guitar (11, 12); Eric Bogart: drums (11); Rafael Solano: percussion (12); German Piferrer: arrangements (13).

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.

Federico Britos on the web: www.myspace.com/federicobritosvoyage

Review written by: Raul da Gama

Johnny Conga – Breaking Skin (Independent 2009)

Johnny Conga comes from a long line of illustrious tumbadores, too many to mention, but suffice it to say that from the musical evidence on Breaking Skin, the genealogy may well include the likes of Chano Pozo, Mongo Santamaria, Tata Güines, Candido, Armando Peraza, Francisco Aguabella and a host of others. Lest anyone out there scream, “Blasphemy!” it bears mention that Johnny Conga stylistically connects ancient with modern from the challenging rhythms of West Africa – the beating heart of ritmo – to the son and danzon, timba, bembe, charanga, rumba, mambo and so on.

Conga’s exclusively rhythm tracks – the “Conga Solo” series, which feature 2 and 3 congas, “Bembe Ochun,” “Conganation,” “Congobel Part II” and “Congarobics – 3 Congas” are all stunning displays not only of virtuoso tumbadora work, but inspired emotional homecoming. The hypnotic edge suggests a conjuring of the spirit world, a call to prayer that is primitive and powerfully modern. It suggests that the drum connection with musical spirituality is vibrantly alive.

Johnny Conga may be making a very important statement here. He is not only establishing his pedigree with this record, nor displaying a flashy skill. There is something greater than dexterity on display here. Johnny Conga is re-establishing the spirit connection with musical journeying. To suggest anything else would be silly. Jack DeJohnette had once lamented that spirituality had left music after John Coltrane died. Musicians it seemed were no longer probing, looking for the tonal centers of song and dance, while entertaining at the same time. But as civilizations spiral uncontrollably into the future, bereft a spirit the world spins darkly. Music like that on Breaking Skin is a constant reminder that there is an alternative, a seeking for the ebullience that can only come with a search for the deeper connection with the roots of humanity, the ritmo of the soul.

So can this record be really enjoyed without this mumbo jumbo? It can and in many more ways than one. True that there is an innocuous start to the record, with Chick Corea’s early chart, “Guajira,” but that only sets the stage for the musical heat that is to follow. There is also a superb display of transcendent interplay between Conga, piano and vibes player, Mario “Del Barrio” Marrero, and rhythmic counterpoint with timbalero, Edwin Bonilla together with the bongocero, Ronnie Loreto. “Seattle Bembe” is a fine example of ritualistic drumming, the rumbling incantation and Bembe raining, blended with a bubbling in the barrio as the maestro of the Yoruba worship calls upon the spirits up above to bless all songs.

“Siempre me va Bien” blends sassy melody with the raining of seemingly mambo coconuts and a delightfully drunken hypnotic clave laughter conjoined with piano con clave. But Johnny Conga does not stop at celebrating merely the Afro-Cuban, or the Afro-Caribbean – as on “Caribe Madness”. There is also some superb deconstruction of the Brasilian rhythms, featured on intense samba tracks such as “Mariel,” which rocks from a sensuous piano and vibes introduction to a swaggering bolero, before skipping with heart-stopping motion back to a samba. “Afro-Samba” is no less wonderful, though completely different from its fluttering counterpart. And, of course, “Midnight Mambo” is a sexy confluence of brass woodwinds and percussion – the highlights are the tenor saxophone work of Tom McCormick with Johnny Padilla on soprano doing svelte pirouettes in counterpoint.

Throughout the record, Johnny Conga’s effortless method of creating memorable ritmo is always on. The rhythmic splatters he creates are non pareil. His left hand patterns and a variety of right hand slaps both open toned and flat slapping is inspired and memorable. Add to that the compositional abilities and the recasting of older work in a modern context and this makes Breaking Skin a record that is pretty close to perfect.

Tracks: Guajira; Seattle Bembe; Siempre Me Va Bien; Conga Solo – 2 congas; Mariel; Conganation; Midnight Mambo; Congobel Part II; Kathy’s Theme; Afro-Samba; Conga Solo No. 2 – 3 Congas; Bembe Ochun; JC’s Revenge; Congarobics – 3 Congas; Comparsa Con Campanas; Afro-Dixie 6; Rumba Pa’ La Ocha; Caribe Madness.

Personnel: Johnny Conga: Congas; Juan Pablo Torres: trombone; Eddie “Guagua” Rivera: bass; Edwin Bonilla: timbales; Mario “Del Barrio” Marrero: piano, vibes; Ronnie Loreto: bongo, bell; Doug Michaels: trumpet; Tom McCormick: tenor saxophone (solo 1,3, 7); Johnny Padilla: tenor saxophone (solo: 5, 12), soprano saxophone (solo 7); Jose "Juanito" Martinez: drums; Guests Sammy Alamillo: drums, handclaps and background vocals; Jeff Woods: congas, guitars, handclaps and background vocals.

Johnny Conga on the web: www.myspace.com/jcjohnnyconga

Review written by: Raul da Gama