Best Recordings of 2010
1. Hilario Durán Trio – Motion (Alma Records)
One of the greatest Cuban pianists. No doubt about it. Either solo, on a duo, trio, quartet… or a big band (you get the idea), Hilario’s compositions and arrangements are outstanding.
2. Danilo Perez – Providencia (Mack Avenue Records)
A truly Pan-American and global masterpiece, Providencia is a beautiful ode to Danilo Perez’s country, to his Panamanian roots, and to his beloved Latin America by extension.
3. Roberto Fonseca – Akokan (Justin Time Records)
Roberto Fonseca belongs to a new generation of Cuban pianists. Incredibly talented, he’s taking the island’s pianistic tradition to new heights. Very spiritual CD. Almost a religious experience.
4. Jovino Santos Neto – Veja o Som/See the Sound (Adventure Music)
This double CD (CD 1 recorded in his adopted country, US and CD 2 recorded in his native Brazil) pairs Jovino Santos Neto with so many incredible artists. A true feast for the senses.
5. Alain Perez – Apetecible (GloboMedia Musica)
On his second recording as a band leader, Alain Perez presents a delightful mix of genres: world, jazz, flamenco, pop, all with a Cuban twist. As a singer, he sounds truly amazing.
6. Paquito D’Rivera with the Pablo Aslan Ensemble – Tango Jazz: Live at the Lincoln Center (Sunnyside Records)
Paquito’s love affair with the music of Gardel and Piazzola goes back in time. This live recording is an excellent homage to the Southern region of the Americas. Great musicianship.
7. Alex Brown – Pianist (Sunnyside Records)
Alex Brown is the youngest talent of the year. Growing under the wings of his Master/Mentor Paquito D’Rivera, Mr. Brown is surely finding his musical voice. An inspired recording.
8. Chicago Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble – Blueprints (Chicago Sessions)
As co-leaders, Nicaraguan pianist, Darwin Noguera and trumpet player Victor Garcia (Chicago native with a mexican heritage) share a common taste for the magnificence of big band compositions. A smoking performance.
9. Samuel Torres – Yaoundé (Self Produced)
The vibrancy and the rhythmic richness of his native Colombia run in Samuel Torres veins. Is the blood of Mother Africa, which nurtures his music, and his artistry.
10. Hector Martignon – Second Chance (Zoho Music)
A remarkable pianist and composer -also hailing from Colombia- Hector Martignon shines on this recording. His arrangements and execution are impecable.
Nelson Riveros – Camino al Barrio (Self Produced – 2010)
Nelson Riveros is one of the most proficient melodic guitarists inhabiting the world of music today. On top of that he is artful rhythmically. He puts both to use playing largely in the middle and lower registers of his instrument—unusual among guitarists, who, for some reason, prefer the wail of the upper register almost all the time. Riveros also seems in no rush to play a phrase or lick. Consequently his lines are longish and dally deliciously as they navigate voluptuous notes, which wrap around the melody as they harmonise beautifully with it, weaving in and out of the framework of each song. Riveros is also a gifted writer and can easily be a great one as he keeps honing his compositional skills. As it is, he writes short songs with complex melodies and challenging rhythms and he is also capable of arranging these with some degree of counterpoint. Whether this counterpoint will find itself in writing for different instruments—horns, or strings—are left to be seen.
On Camino al Barrio Riveros is joined by the remarkable pianist, Hector Martignon, as co-producer and who assisted in the arrangements of some tracks. Both men perform outstandingly. Riveros is the surprise as he plays with an unexpected fluidity showing none of the jagged edges that sometimes come with debut albums. This is, then a very accomplished piece of work. There is a preponderance of Bossa Nova rhythms and this is especially delightful on Jimmy van Huesen’s “Darn That Dream,” which is less dreamy in the Brasilian rhythm, but has a fine, ironic edge to it that is absent when it is played straight. The Bossa rhythm is the underlying bed for other tracks and overlaid on this could be other, more complex time signatures as well, as on the title track. To make this worthwhile Riveros is aided and abetted by an excellent pair of percussionists: Ernesto Simpson, who dazzles behind the conventional drum set, and Samuel Torres, who plays an assortment of percussion instruments not attached to the regular set.
Riveros is also a sensitive vocalist. He appears somewhat tentative, at first, on “La Puerta,” but soon warms up to the lyrics and delivers a good performance. Hector Martignon and Riveros have stellar solos, back to back, on this track, beautifully arranged by the fine guitarist, David Oquendo, who does not play on this album. Riveros’ version of Cole Porter’s “It’s All Right With Me” is utterly disarming and indicates that the guitarist has much more to offer than merely an understanding of music in Latin American modes. Rather he seems to be well versed in the history of American music, especially in music that made its way to stage and screen in a sort of “golden era” of song writing. The guitarist is also an emotional writer and performer and his heartfelt “Song for Marta” is evidence of this.
For a debut, this is a very accomplished album and it augers well for Riveros’ future work. For one, it will be interesting to see how he might deal with music that is not constrained by the 32-bar format. Writing and playing with strings and horns is another aspect of Riveros’ work that is eagerly awaited. His true talent will probably show then and this is something to look forward to.
Tracks: Caipirinha; Blue Cha-Cha; Darn That Dream; Camino al Barrio; La Puerta; Los Primos; Song for Marta; Mis Amores; Second Chance; It’s All Right With Me.
Personnel: Nelson Riveros: guitars, vocal (5); Hector Martignon: piano, Fender Rhodes; Armando Gola: bass; Ernesto Simpson: drums; Samuel Torres: percussion; Christos Rafalides: vibes (2, 4, 8); Andres Garcia: tiple (6, 8).
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Nelson Riveros on the web: www.nelsonriveros.com
You can also buy Nelson Riveros – Camino al Barrio at www.cdbaby.com
Review written by: Raul da Gama
Latin Jazz Network Radio – Jukebox – August 2010 Playlist
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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.
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Hector Martignon on the web: www.foreignaffair.com
Review written by: Raul da Gama
