Latin Jazz

Alfredo Rodriguez moved to the United States in January 2009. An uprooting that has never cut off the 32-year-old Cuban pianist from his origins and heritage. “When you live in your own country, you are immersed in that reality and you’re not necessarily conscious of all the different elements that make it what it is. I breathed Cuban music. Being outside that reality gives me a different perspective. Creating and playing this music has been like finding out who I am, all over again." Who is this talented Quincy Jones protégé? We already know. But his fourth album for Mack Avenue further highlights his ability to slide from one genre to the other, to slalom between eras and landscapes. Rodriguez’s resolutely plural jazz is always impressive, even when it takes on a challenge such as Besame Mucho. With drummer Michael Olivera and bassist Munir Hossn, he has built a style of jazz with multiple compartments, logically anchored in the tradition of his homeland and extremely rich musically. But it’s when his playing style is elsewhere that he appears more poetic than ever. The narrative strength of his piano takes over and he just goes along with it, eyes closed… It’s worth noting that Quincy, him again, is back to producing on this Little Dream to make it even more delightful! © Clotilde Maréchal/Qobuz

Alfredo Rodriguez moved to the United States in January 2009. An uprooting that has never cut off the 32-year-old Cuban pianist from his origins and heritage. “When you live in your own country, you are immersed in that reality and you’re not necessarily conscious of all the different elements that make it what it is. I breathed Cuban music. Being outside that reality gives me a different perspective. Creating and playing this music has been like finding out who I am, all over again." Who is this talented Quincy Jones protégé? We already know. But his fourth album for Mack Avenue further highlights his ability to slide from one genre to the other, to slalom between eras and landscapes. Rodriguez’s resolutely plural jazz is always impressive, even when it takes on a challenge such as Besame Mucho. With drummer Michael Olivera and bassist Munir Hossn, he has built a style of jazz with multiple compartments, logically anchored in the tradition of his homeland and extremely rich musically. But it’s when his playing style is elsewhere that he appears more poetic than ever. The narrative strength of his piano takes over and he just goes along with it, eyes closed… It’s worth noting that Quincy, him again, is back to producing on this Little Dream to make it even more delightful! © Clotilde Maréchal/Qobuz

Without the pianist Bebo Valdés and the trumpet player Chico O'Farrill, Afro-Cuban music and jazz would be quite different. Their way of playing, their compositions and their arrangements for big-bands have influenced hordes of musicians. Their story is also a reflection of the solid artistic links unifying Cuba and the United States, far away from the diplomatic and politic quarrels… Here, their sons Chucho Valdés and Arturo O'Farrill (two musical giants as well) celebrate this legacy. With Familia: Tribute To Bebo And Chico, the two pianists take care to ensure that this celebration doesn’t smell like mothballs. On the contrary! They take the Afro-Cuban jazz tradition to rather enjoyable new harmonic and rhythmic horizons. The level of the other members of the two families is really astonishing: the pianist Leyanis Valdés, the drummers Jessie Valdés and Adam O'Farrill and the trumpet player Zack O'Farrill all offer virtuoso performances, mixing their grandfathers’ music with original compositions. And to highlight even more the open-mindedness of these brilliant protagonists, Familia: Tribute To Bebo And Chico ends on a title that welcomes the sitarist Anoushka Shankar! In short, this album is a pure wonder. © MZ/Qobuz