Chick Corea: Rendezvous in New York (2003) [2 cd]

One of Chick Corea's most ambitious projects was the recording of almost 60 hours of music with nine different groups over a three-week run at the Blue Note in December 2001; it must have been a challenge to choose the dozen performances for this two-CD set. The first disc begins with scat singer par excellence Bobby McFerrin joining the pianist to scat his way through three selections, including a stunning medley of an excerpt from Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez" and Corea's "Spain." Bassist Miroslav Vitous and ageless drummer Roy Haynes provide the pulse to his extended work "Matrix." Corea's well-crafted tribute to Bud Powell, with Terence Blanchard and Joshua Redman in the front line, combines two of Powell's greatest works, "Glass Enclosure" and "Tempus Fugit." But Corea is at his most lyrical when old friend Gary Burton joins him to revisit the pianist's masterpiece, the shimmering "Crystal Silence." The second disc is also full of great music, though disc one clearly gets the edge, with the possible exception of the virtuoso duo piano interpretation with Gonzalo Rubalcaba of the same medley performed with McFerrin on the first CD. It is safe to say that no fan of Chick Corea will be disappointed with this wide-ranging compilation of live music, and itis also a great starting point for those not familiar with his voluminous works. Highly recommended.

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Rendezvous (RS) / Rendezvous (HF) vbr

Gonzalo Rubalzaba & New Cuban Quartet: Paseo (2004)

There's never been any question about pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba's talent, which is substantial. It's his stylistic sprawl and occasional lapses of taste that have held him back--at least for those who saw him as a potentially great jazz player when he first emerged from Cuba in the early '90s. Leading a revamped version of his New Cuban Quartet, including famed drummer Ignacio Berroa, Rubalcaba sets out to revisit and remake originals from his past, along with two Cuban traditionals and one Hilario Gonzalez compostion. With his bold rhythmic statements on acoustic piano, expansive narrative lines, and knowing dips into tradition, Paseo can be a compelling exercise, but as ever, Rubalcaba sacrifices his edge when indulging his fusion-oriented side with electric keyboards, funk forays, and watery soprano saxophone solos by Luis Felipe Lamoglia. He delights you with Monk-kissed classicism on a jaunty solo-acoustic rendering of Gonzalez's "Preludia en Conga # 1" before fatback bass and electric keys take you down the less rewarding path of his original "Homage to Hilario." --Lloyd Sachs

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Paseo (RS) / Paseo (MU)

Gonzalo Rubalcaba: The Trio (2005)

One of the most important figures to emerge from Afro-Cuban jazz in the '90s, Gonzalo Rubalcaba is an extrordinaily versatile pianist able to blend disparate strands of Cuban and American jazz tradition into a flesh, modern whole. Born into a musical family in Navana on May 27, 1963, Rubalcaba began studying classical piano at age eight, honing his technique in that area for the next 12 years while playing aroung Havana by night. In 1983, he toured France and Africa with Cuba's long standing Orquestra Aragon, and formed his own band, Grupo Proyecto, in 1985, the same year he was discovered by Dizzy Gillespie. In 1986, Rubalcaba played the Havana Jazz Festival with the American rhythm section of Charlie Haden and Paul Motian, and with Haden's support soon appeared at major international fetivals like Montreal and Monreux.

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The Trio

Gonzalo Rubalcaba: Live in Havana (1989)

What happens when a group of visionary musicians get together for the live performance of something very sophisticated, lead by one of jazz's heaviest hitters? The answer, of course, if magic. Now, what happens if all those things are true, but it is simply before the musician's time? Uncontrolled magic. When rhythm section players like Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Felipe Cabrera, Roberto Vizcaíno, and Horacio "El Negro" Hernández take the stage, there is Cuban alchemy so strong that concepts like tumbao and clave become obsolete, irrelevant. The horn players, Lazaro Cruz and Rafael Carrasco, together form an amazing voice, and individually push the style to new levels. The complexity of Rubalcaba's arrangements are unparalleled in modern Latin jazz. His soloing concepts are so visceral and unchecked that they are indigestible upon first listening. Though often times quite tuneful, 1989's Live in Havana bears all the markings of a "young lion's" project. The classic questions like "who is was this album made for, Gonzalo or the audience?" and "where's the mix of old and new?" are appropriate, and will leap to mind more than once. The overall effect is sort of like witnessing a young Bill Shakespeare get tipsy and let his hair down at a cocktail party. Most prefer Macbeth. The project is inspirational, and has great merit, but will require a very special kind of listener to get frequent play.

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Live in Havana

The Monterey Quartet: Live at the 2007 Monterey Jazz Festival (2009)

The Monterey Quartet" is a historic summit of four of today's top Jazz Musicians together on one CD for the very first time!

Dave Holland: Today's most accomplished pure-jazz composer among bassists; his sense of swing is unexcelled.

Gonzalo Rubalcaba: One of the most important figures to emerge from Afro- Cuban jazz; he's an extraordinarily versatile pianist able to blend Cuban and American jazz traditions into a fresh, modern whole.

Chris Potter: One of today's most sophisticated and respected saxophone stylists.

Eric Holland: A drummer extraordinaire who has become a first-call player; his collaborations represent a virtual who's who of modern jazz.

Their live performance at the 2007 Monterey Jazz Festival was mesmerizing and the talk of the festival; now it is captured live on CD.

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Live at the 2007

Gonzalo Rubalcaba: Avatar (2008) [lossless]

One of the most important figures to emerge from Afro-Cuban jazz in the '90s, Gonzalo Rubalcaba is an extraordinarily versatile pianist able to blend disparate strands of Cuban and American jazz tradition into a fresh, modern whole. Born into a musical family in Havana on May 27, 1963, Rubalcaba began studying classical piano at age eight, honing his technique in that area for the next 12 years while playing around Havana by night. In 1983, he toured France and Africa with Cuba's longstanding Orquesta Aragon, and formed his own band, Grupo Proyecto, in 1985, the same year he was discovered by Dizzy Gillespie. In 1986, Rubalcaba played the Havana Jazz Festival with the American rhythm section of Charlie Haden and Paul Motian, and with Haden's support soon appeared at major international festivals like Montreal and Montreux. (398MB)

Charlie Haden: Land of the Sun (2004) mp3 @ 320K

Those who know bassist Charlie Haden from his avant-garde work with the Liberation Music Orchestra and Ornette Coleman will be in for a shock here. LAND OF THE SUN bears little resemblance to the free, strident music Haden recorded in those groups. With the help of accomplished, intense musicians such as pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba and saxophonist Joe Lovano,Haden has made a record of astonishing consonance, serenity, and beauty.LAND OF THE SUN features music by three significant Mexican composers. Haden's group performs a song each by Agustin Lara ("Solamente Una Vez [You Belong to My Heart]") and Armando Manzanero ("Esta Tarde Vi Llover [Yesterday I Heard the Rain]"), but the remaining eight tracks are byJose Sabre Marroquin (whose lyrical, delicate music seamlessly blends jazz with his country's folk traditions). Though understated percussion grooves occasionally accent a melody,the tunes, for the most part, are ballads and lullabies. Rubalcaba wrote the arrangements here, which prominently feature his own sensitive piano playing and Oriente Lopez's lilting flute ("Anoranza [Longing]" is a gorgeous example of their interplay). As appropriate to an afternoon siesta on a Mexico City veranda as it is for romantic dancing on a New Yorkrooftop, LAND OF THE SUN is soothing, dream-like, and exquisitely made. (116MB)

Richard Galliano: Love Day - Los Angeles Sessions (2008)

Accordionist Richard Galliano did for European folk — specifically, the early-20th-century French ballroom dance form known as musette — what his mentor Astor Piazzolla did for the Argentinean tango. Galliano re-imagined and revitalized a musical tradition, expanding its emotional range to reflect modern sensibilities, and opening it up to improvisation learned through American jazz. In fact, Galliano was more of a jazz musician than a folk one, although he blurred the lines so much that distinctions were often difficult to make. Born in France of Italian stock, Galliano began playing accordion (as his father did) at a young age. He later picked up the trombone, and studied composition at the Academy in Nice; he also fell in love with jazz as a teenager, particularly cool-era Miles Davis and Clifford Brown, and made it his primary focus by the late '60s. Making a living as a jazz accordionist naturally proved difficult; fortunately, after moving to Paris in 1973, he landed a position as conductor, arranger, and composer for Claude Nougaro's orchestra. He remained there until 1976, and went on to work with numerous American and European jazz luminaries, including Chet Baker, Joe Zawinul, Toots Thielemans, Ron Carter, Michel Petrucciani, and Jan Garbarek. After meeting Astor Piazzolla, Galliano refocused on his European heritage, and set about reviving and updating musette, widely considered antiquated at the time. He signed with Dreyfus in 1993, and the label gave him enough exposure to cause a stir first in his home country, then among international jazz and world music fans. Regular recordings followed, some with clarinetist/soprano saxophonist Michel Portal, some with guitarist Jean Marie Ecay, some with his favorite rhythm section of bassist Jean-François Jenny-Clark and drummer Daniel Humair (after Jenny-Clark's untimely death, Rémi Vignolo took his place). In 2001, Dreyfus released Gallianissimo, a compilation drawing from his seven albums for the label.