Afro-Cuban Dances

Albumbeschreibung

It is a bit difficult to tell from the graphics what one is getting on this album, which earned a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Classical Album in 2023. The name of the composer, Lecuona, is there, but it is stylized into the design, and the album contains other works besides his set of Afro-Cuban Dances. Lecuona is hardly a neglected composer; he was championed by Desi Arnaz, among others, but he is better known for his songs and for his Cuban popular music in general. The Afro-Cuban Dances are well worth getting to know better, however, and pianist Kristhyan Benitez gives fine, clear performances that don't overemphasize the folk rhythms. The pieces are fascinatingly varied, suggesting the idea that the development of African rhythms was perhaps more intricately developed in Cuba than in any other country. Some of the pieces sound a bit like ragtime (sample the Danza Negra, No. 2); some remind one of the tango (which was an African-inspired dance); and some are entirely peculiar to Cuba. There are also excerpts from Lecuona's Danzas cubanas al estilo del XIX siglo, Cuban counterparts to Piazzolla's Histoire du tango, and a transcription of a song, Ahora que eres mío, by Lecuona's much less well-known sister Ernestina Lecuona (note that some streaming sources incorrectly credit this work to Ernesto). The album ends with a Lecuona-style improvisation by Benitez, something that would surely have pleased the composer. This release is well worth the time of listeners who have had their radar crossed at any time by this fascinating Cuban composer.

© James Manheim /TiVo