Zaccai Curtis is deeply immersed in both bebop and Afro-Cuban jazz which makes any recording by him a shoo-in for BSH. As the pianist points out, bebop and Cuban jazz were one of the earliest forms of fusion and, in my own opinion, probably the most natural.
Here he pays homage to the early greats of both genres, delving into works by: Monk, Ray Bryant, Dizzy, Hilton Ruiz, Noro Morales (x 4), Kenny Drew, Kenny Durham and Charlie Parker. He even takes Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag down to Havana, gives a Latin touch to When I Fall in Love and Someday my Prince Will Come and plays Moose the Mooche as a cha cha cha. On top of all that cubop he's also contributed three of his originals that tick all the boxes.
The three-man Latin percussion section do everything a drummer could have done - and more! The rhythm is compulsive, covering the whole gamut of samba, rhumba, mambo, cha cha cha and probably a few more. I don't think I detected any bossas (thank goodness!).
The other Curtis, bassist Luques, provides the link between piano and rhythm as well as slotting in some quite melodic solos.
Zaccai, needless to say, leads from the front. This is no album of cocktail/Copacabana lounge music but the bringing together of the glorious music and rhythms of the two cultures. Cubop is definitely spoken here! Lance
Earl; Black Rice; 52nd St. Theme; When I Fall in Love; Cuban Fantasy; Woody'n You; Someday my Prince Will Come; Let's do it Again; Jazzin'; Oye Men; Stromboli; Rumbambola; Maple Leaf Rag; Contour; Minor's Holiday; Moose the Mooche.
No comments :
Post a Comment