Gabriel Espinosa - Bossas And Boleros

Styles: Latin
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:59
Size: 121,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:17) 1. New Year (Feat. Kim Nazarian)
(7:06) 2. Amelia (Feat. Kim Nazarian)
(4:06) 3. Mi Jarana (Feat. Kim Nazarian & Anat Cohen)
(6:06) 4. Aqui Estoy Yo (Feat. Fred Hersch)
(4:31) 5. Sing (Feat. New York Voices)
(5:36) 6. First Responders (Feat. Kim Nazarian)
(6:08) 7. Pa Eugenio (Feat. Kim Nazarian)
(5:51) 8. Nosotros (Feat. Gerardo Flores)
(4:26) 9. 22 (Feat. Kim Nazarian)
(4:47) 10. No Me Platiques Mas

Six of these tunes on Bossas and Boleros are his original compositions. As you might expect from the title, some of these tunes fit in a kind of retro/romantic category whereas others are in a kind of soft Latin jazz vein. Interestingly, Gabriel also found inspiration in current events and translated them into musical interludes.

Gabriel assembled an excellent collection of musicians to bring this album to life and his bass playing is solid and precise but not flashy. His playing compliments the music in a noticeable way but is very balanced in the overall mix. The compositions are intricate and quite lovely with a generous helping of Latin tempos. I especially enjoyed his vocal rendition of “Aqui Estoy Yo” where he sings with just a piano. It is a rare treat to actually hear a bass player’s voice in a tune.

The great thing about this album is it’s universal appeal as it is not all about the bass. Everyone can relate to a collection of beautiful music and it’s excellent execution. This album is perfect to listen to while you enjoy a glass of wine with a loved one as you watch the sunset. Listening made me feel both relaxed and happy and that are feelings we all want to share.
https://bassmusicianmagazine.com/2023/10/album-review-gabriel-espinosa-bossas-and-boleros/

Bossas & Boleros

---

Gabriel Espinosa - Songs Of Bacharach And Manzanero

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:55
Size: 114.3 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz, Latin jazz
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[5:09] 1. Adoro
[5:06] 2. (They Long To Be) Close To You (Feat. Tierney Sutton)
[5:02] 3. Como Yo Te Ame
[3:18] 4. The Look Of Love (Feat. Tierney Sutton)
[5:00] 5. Esta Tarde Vi Llover
[4:46] 6. What The World Needs Now (Feat. Tierney Sutton)
[4:04] 7. Somos Novios
[6:16] 8. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head (Feat. Tierney Sutton)
[4:40] 9. Cuando Estoy Contigo
[6:29] 10. Alfie (Feat. Tierney Sutton)

Bassist-composer-arranger Gabriel Espinosa explores the common ground between two prolific and influential popular composers who came to prominence during the ‘60s in their respective countries -- Burt Bacharach in the United States and Armando Manzanero in Mexico. With five-time Grammy Award-nominated vocalist Tierney Sutton handling the five familiar Bacharach tracks and Espinosa himself singing the Spanish lyrics of five tunes by his fellow countryman and native of Yucatan, this alluring concept album is brimming with the kind of sophisticated harmonies, unexpected chord progressions and changing meters that mark both acclaimed composers’ work, while also being unabashedly romantic at his core.

As Espinosa states, “I’m not a jazz musician, I’m not a Brazilian musician or Afro-Cuban musician or bolero musician. I’m a little bit of everything, so I put a little bit of everything in these songs.” What do the famed American pop composer and beloved Mexican bolero composer have in common? Espinosa rattles off a list of qualities: “Beautiful melodies, beautiful harmonies, beautiful lyrics. Friendly songs. Songs that people can relate to. Songs that people can sing along to. They’re beautiful songs. To me, they are like the new American Songbook writers. Bacharach is a magic composer. Nobody was writing popular music like that in the ‘60s. And Manzanero is the equivalent of Jobim, but in the Mexican bolero music tradition. He is one of the idol composers in Mexico.” ~Grady Harp

The ensemble is Gabriel Espinosa, vocals, Tierney Sutton, vocals, Misha Tsiganov, piano and fender Rhodes, Mauricio Zottarelli, drums, percussion. Jim Seeley, trumpet, flugelhorn, Hendrik Meurkins, harmonica, Gustavo Amarante, electric bass, Joe Martin, acoustic bass, Gabriel Espinosa, eclectic bass, Rubens De La Corte, acoustic guitar, Itai Kriss, flute, and Johathan Gomez, bongos.

Songs Of Bacharach And Manzanero

---

Hendrik Meurkens & Gabriel Espinosa - Celebrando (Feat. Anat Cohen, Antonio Sanchez)

Styles: Brazilian Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:20
Size: 126,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:01)  1. La Esperanza
(4:51)  2. Slow Breeze
(3:04)  3. Frenzelosa (Choro No. 2)
(6:13)  4. Odessa in April
(4:52)  5. Pa Rio
(6:33)  6. Out of Reach
(5:17)  7. La Puerta
(4:26)  8. She Lives in Brazil
(4:58)  9. Maya Roots
(5:48) 10. Mountain Drive
(3:13) 11. Celebrando

Harmonica master Hendrik Meurkens and bass virtuoso Gabriel Espinosa collaborate for a tribute of Brazilian jazz on Celebrando, which means "celebrating" in both Portuguese and Spanish. It's an appropriate title for this album, as it celebrates the distinctiveness of the genre and the influence it has had on musicians, audiences and the development of world music. It also pays a special salute to the many stellar musicians appearing on the album, all of whom have devoted a portion of their careers exploring the music. Completing the theme of the session, the recording also serves to celebrate the 100th album from Jochen Becker's New York-based label, Zoho Music. The international significance of this project cannot be overlooked, considering that the German-born Meurkens joins the Mexican-born Espinosa on this special album, also featuring Israeli-born saxophonist/clarinetist Anat Cohen and Mexican-born drummer Antonio Sanchez as special guests. Rounding out the personnel are three Americans, a Russian pianist (Misha Tsiganov) and the only Brazilian-born player of the crew, drummer Mauricio Zottarelli. What they share in common is an affinity for Brazilian jazz and a willingness to lend their collective voices to this celebration. Alison Wedding is an enchanting scat singer who opens the set with the light Espinosa bossa, "La Esperanza," supported by Tsiganov's tender Fender Rhodes phrasings and Meurkens' brisk harmonica lines. The delightful "Slow Breeze" mirrors the starter but at a slower tempo, once again featuring Wedding's scatting vocals, Tsiganov on piano and trumpeter Jim Seeley. 

Cohen lends her clarinet to the choro-styled "Frenzelosa (Choro No. 2)" as she also does on "Pa Rio" and the earthly "Maya Roots," a three-part harmony mixing the voice, clarinet and harmonica. Cohen's only performance on tenor comes with Tsiganov's "Out Of Reach," where she tears off one solid solo after another. Meurkens' "Odessa In April," a reprise from previous recordings, is clearly one of the melodic gems of the disc featuring more vocal scatting over Seeley's gorgeous flugelhorn and tasteful harmonica. The bassist delivers a humbling vocal performance on the beautiful "La Puerta," singing Luis Demetrio's lyrics in Spanish to Meurkens harmonica accompaniment. The pianist showcases his mettle on his other contribution of the album, "She Lives In Brazil" a romping up-tempo samba where his quick right hand delivery is superb. Seeley on the muted horn and Wedding's well-placed scatting along with Meurkens' furious harmonica performance, are the other highlights of this piece. The album begins to wind down with "Mountain Drive," one of Meurkens most popular tunes first performed on Amazon River (Blue Toucan Records, 2004), and closes with Espinosa's festive title trackpenned, oddly enough, for 2012, the year of the Mayans. Nevertheless, while the music of Celebrando reveals no obvious clues to the celebrant nature of the recording, Meurkens and Espinosa provide many resounding reasons to celebrate the wonderful world of Brazilian jazz. ~ Edward Blanco   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/celebrando-zoho-music-review-by-edward-blanco.php#.U2QysleS-PM

Personnel: Hendrik Meurkens: harmonica; Gabriel Espinosa: bass, vocals (5-9, 11); Anat Cohen: clarinet (3, 5, 9), tenor saxophone (6); Jim Seeley: trumpet, flugelhorn; Alison Wedding: vocals; Molly Blythe: background vocals; Misha Tsiganov: piano, Fender Rhodes; Antonio Sanchez: drums; Mauricio Zottarelli: drums (1, 4, 8, 10, 11), percussion.

Celebrando

---