Gonzalo Rubalcaba - Borrowed Roses

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:01
Size: 140,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:42) 1. Chelsea Bridge
(4:36) 2. Summertime
(4:22) 3. Someone To Watch Over Me
(5:04) 4. Take Five
(6:20) 5. Here There And Everywhere
(4:11) 6. Windows
(6:41) 7. Lush Life
(5:09) 8. Night And Day
(6:19) 9. In A Sentimental Mood
(4:25) 10. Very Early
(2:37) 11. Do It Again
(6:30) 12. Shape Of My Heart

While many men and women approach their sixtieth birthday with visions of retirement, pianist and iconoclast Gonzalo Rubalcaba, with his perceptive ear for folk dance and dense improvisation, moves as far as possible from the idea of retirement and attains another peak of perfection on Borrowed Roses.

Unlike his previous head-turning, stylistic solo recordings the Latin Grammy-winning Solo (Blue Note, 2005) and the spirit cleansing Fe Faith (5Passion, 2019) Borrowed Roses contemplates popular song and standards.

Coming off yet another Grammy win for Skyline (5Passion, 2022), a highly distinguished trio outing with Ron Carter and Jack DeJohnette, Rubalcaba, avowed that music, like imagination and creativity, is never a static thing. He focuses his formidable interpretative prowess on two melodic Billy Strayhorn gems, "Chelsea Bridge" and "Lush Life," centering the melodies within themselves, choosing not to buoy them with the rich harmonic accents which made the originals memorable. That is not to imply in any way that Rubalcaba's approach and playing is anything less than memorable.

Taken back to back, and guided by the lyrical flow, two George Gershwin classics, "Summertime" and "Someone To Watch Over Me," become of one piece, each glorying in the external (the season of the sun) and the internal (the season of longing). Perhaps not an original pairing (given the many times each has been performed down the decades) but certainly an inspiring one, and one which spotlights Rubalcaba's intricate delicacy and determination.

If it were not for the instant familiarity of Paul Desmond's game-changing "Take Five," this performance could be taken as one of the pianist's own time-defying compositions, his coordination and solo improvs holding court. More and more jazz players are recognizing the depth and durability of the John Lennon-Paul McCartney songbook, guaranteeing future years of great music; the pianist takes his place among the true interpreters, translating the emotional core of "Here, There, and Everywhere" with a clarity which a surviving Beatle might marvel at. Rubalcaba muses and expands on Chick Corea "Windows;" conjures and calls onBill Evans with "Very Early," and closes the regal Borrowed Roses with the hushed elegance of Sting's understated ballad "The Shape of My Heart."By Mike Jurkovic
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/borrowed-roses-gonzalo-rubalcaba-top-side-music

Personnel: Gonzalo Rubalcaba: Piano

Borrowed Roses

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Gonzalo Rubalcaba - Turning Point / Trio D'ete

Styles: Piano Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:07
Size: 101,5 MB
Art: Front

( 6:36) 1. Infantil
(10:07) 2. Otra Mirada
( 2:10) 3. Turning I
( 7:34) 4. Iku
( 3:15) 5. Turning II
( 8:04) 6. Hard One
( 6:18) 7. Joy,Joie

Turning Point is the new album by GRAMMY-Award winning pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba. Turning Point introduces a new trio, Trio D’été, which features stalwart bassist Matt Brewer and star drummer Eric Harland. The second in a planned trilogy of trio recordings, this new release follows in the footsteps of Rubalcaba’s Skyline, which won the GRAMMY award last year for Best Jazz Instrumental Album.

During his 35 years as a recording artist, Gonzalo Rubalcaba has been averse to repeating himself from one album to the next, adhering to a tenet once summarized by Wayne Shorter as “everything that’s happened is a work in progress,” or, as Duke Ellington suavely put it, “my favorite recording is the next one.” Along those lines, in recent years – as on Skyline with Ron Carter and Jack DeJohnette, Rubalcaba has retrospected on earlier experiences, reconsidering the raw materials and approaching them with an attitude of speculative creativity.

Those imperatives guided Rubalcaba in 2018 as he conceived Turning Point, recorded in Miami a month after Skyline. Like Skyline, Turning Point demonstrates Rubalcaba’s protean approach to the piano trio, a configuration he’s investigated before the public gaze since his 1990s Blue Note recordings with Carter, DeJohnette, Charlie Haden, John Patitucci, Jeff Chambers, Paul Motian and Ignacio Berroa.

Although Rubalcaba has deep roots with both musicians, the Rubalcaba-Brewer-Harland configuration was a new one circa 2018. Turning Point is Brewer’s fifth recording with Rubalcaba since 2007, when he played on Avatar, a quintet session with alto saxophonist Yosvany Terry, trumpeter Michael Rodriguez and drummer Marcus Gilmore on which Rubalcaba premiered “Infantil,” a reimagined version of which opens this album. He’s subsequently performed on 5Passion productions XXI Century, which featured the Rubalcaba’s trio with Brewer and Marcus Gilmore; Suite Caminos, an ancient-to-future evocation of Afro-Yoruba ceremonial; and Charlie, Rubalcaba’s bolero-centric homage to Haden.

Rubalcaba’s maiden voyage with Harland also occurred in 2007, when they joined Chris Potter and Dave Holland in a “Monterey All Stars” unit that toured the U.S. during that summer and recorded one album. Explaining his thinking about their second encounter, Rubalcaba says: “I wanted to do a trio record of original music, based in the language of jazz, not completely straight ahead, but bringing in other elements that are part of my musical memory and my personality as a musician. I thought that Eric could help me rhythmically his background is not only straight ahead, but also from R&B he plays drums in a very modern way, which is what I was looking for.

While Skyline was a collaborative effort featuring compositions from Rubalcaba, Carter and DeJohnette, on Turning Point, Rubalcaba takes on a more pivotal role as both composer and producer. “Of course, I put my faith in Eric and Matt, and I wanted them to make that music like this is their music, too. They’re both serious about being up to date and informed about everything happening at the moment, not only here, but different points around the world. They have American music, of course, but also music from India, from Brazil, from Africa, from musicians I don’t know. This is healthy, because you can tell them, ‘this is my idea, and I’d like to have that sound and go in that direction,’ and their level of reference allows them to connect quickly with that idea.”

As an example, Rubalcaba cites his tour de force treatment of the aforementioned “Infantil,” dedicated to guitar legend John McLaughlin, who, he says, “has always had the feeling of someone who has remained fresh and active and curious over so many decades, keeping the attitude of a young rebel.” The structure contains on-a-dime metric modulations from funk to Latin to straight-ahead.

Another highlight is “Otra Mirada (Another Look)” an original bolero that debuted on Supernova (Blue Note), released the same year as Nocturne, for which Rubalcaba convened Nuyorican bass master Carlos Henriquez, then 20, and Cuban drum titan Ignacio Berroa. For Trio D’été, Rubalcaba presents a completely reharmonized treatment, also including different harmonic progressions in the solo section.

“Bolero was everywhere at my house and with my family in Havana,” Rubalcaba says. “For a long time I’ve presented my relationship with the bolero while changing as much as I can harmonically and rhythmically to look in another way at what bolero is or has been until today. As a style, I think of the bolero as a very European music with a very Latin rhythm section. The melody can be made by an Italian composer from the 18th or 19th century, and harmonies are coming sometimes from jazz music or American music, or even European music in its most classical way. Then the bongos, congas and maracas are behind, changing the rhythmic colors. On ‘Otra Mirada’ if we eliminate the drums and leave only bass and piano, it could easily be chamber music. The drums transform it, take the music in another direction.”

Brewer’s precise, deliberate, resonant tumbao introduces “Ikú” (the Yoruba term for “death” or “la muerte”), whose stately, bittersweet melody Rubalcaba extracted from a chant he’d heard in childhood at funeral ceremonies. Harland sound-paints throughout on mallets. “It appears always in a sad mood when you’ve lost someone or are remembering someone who passed away,” Rubalcaba says of the piece. “At the same time, the melody of the line and the spirit of that music sounds beautiful to me. Everything is in there the darkness or the bright side, the sweetness and beauty or the sad and nostalgic part. How you appreciate the music depends on the day, the moment you’re living.”

Portions of “The Hard One” sound like two drummers having a conversation. Rubalcaba first recorded it on the 1998 album Inner Voyage, when tenor titan Michael Brecker joined his Jeff Chambers-Ignacio Berroa trio; two years later he revisited it with Henriquez and Berroa on Supernova. In the booklet notes for Inner Voyage Rubalcaba wrote that Chambers kept referring to the piece as “the hard one” during rehearsals for a Japanese tour that preceded the album, and “we decided that the name was appropriate.” He added: “…it’s connected to some of Chick Corea’s work during the early ’80s; I also connect it with the language developed by composers like Berg, Bartok, Stravinsky and Schoenberg.”

He concludes the proceedings with the brisk, playful, interactive, self-descriptively titled “Joy, Joie,” Rubalcaba’s only composition written specifically for Trio d’été. He describes it as an ode to “a spirit that cannot be dark and cannot be down, that’s bright, filled with light. It’s probably the least formally complex piece on the record two sections, like typical standards in American music, AABA, and then solos, and then the coda. That’s it.”

Winding down our conversation, Rubalcaba revealed what his fan base can expect for volume three of this three-part extravaganza intended to showcase “three different trios, different projections, different language, different sounds and different ways to approach the music.” It will be an album of “Latin fusion” featuring “players from Latin culture not only Cuba.” “My plan is to bring new original compositions for this album, not music I’d already done and want to recompose,” Rubalcaba says. “That will be the challenge.”https://lydialiebman.com/index.php/project/gonzalo-rubalcaba/

Personnel: Gonzalo Rubalcaba (Piano); Matt Brewer (Bass) and Eric Harland (Drums)

Turning Point / Trio D'ete

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Gonzalo Rubalcaba - Charlie

Size: 167,0 MB
Time: 72:39
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz: Latin Jazz, Afro-Cuban Jazz
Art: Front

01. First Song ( 5:58)
02. Sandino (11:48)
03. La Pasionaria ( 9:58)
04. Hermitage ( 9:20)
05. Bay City ( 8:55)
06. Blue In Green ( 4:36)
07. Nightfall ( 9:07)
08. Transparence ( 6:03)
09. Silence ( 6:51)

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.

Rubalcaba's early dates for Blue Note -- 1990's Discovery: Live at Montreux and the following year's The Blessing -- were instant classics, breaking him among American jazz audiences and showcasing his virtuosic technique and dense improvisations. Rubalcaba was finally able to play for American audiences beginning in 1993, including a star-making appearance at Lincoln Center, and soon emigrated from Cuba (though not to the U.S. right away; he eventually settled in South Florida in 1996). Rubalcaba recorded for several labels, including Blue Note, which was home to much of his best later work, including 1999's introspective Inner Voyage, 2001's Grammy-winning Supernova, 2004's Paseo, which offered new interpretations of old songs, and 2005's aptly named Solo. In 2002 Rubalcaba shared the title of Artist in Residence at the Montreal Jazz Festival with fellow pianist Chucho Valdés, and in 2003, as part of the Bele Bele Jazz Club series, issued Straight Ahead, re-releases of three separate recording sessions between 1986 and 1987. ~by Steve Huey

Charlie

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Ron Carter, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Jack DeJohnette - Skyline

Styles: Jazz, Bop
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:39
Size: 139,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:51) 1. Lagrimas Negras
(9:02) 2. Gypsy
(6:41) 3. Silver Hollow
(6:43) 4. Promenade
(3:26) 5. Novia Mia
(4:45) 6. Quite Place
(7:36) 7. Ahmad the Terrible
(7:54) 8. Siempre Maria
(7:36) 9. RonJackRuba

Substantial yet serene, sophisticated yet soothing, Skyline oozes with the earthiness of New York City. Here, Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette, and Gonzalo Rubalcaba merged their broad skills into an assemblage of erudite conversations, each package wrapped with beauty and delicate care. Of the many common threads heard in this collection, none could be more precious than time. Yes, of course, the trio had a wealth of rich pockets, but the reference is made to time of another nature. They were in no rush. They let the music develop at its own pace. Good things come to those who wait. In the case of Skyline, that would be great things.

Befitting a long overdue reunion, the trio chose to play with old friends. Familiar tunes were reimagined and reenergized with the clearly abundant joy of playing together. A snareless DeJohnette created the necessary Afro-Cuban bolero feel for the timeless standard "Lagrimas Negras." Rubalcaba crescendoed softly and again vigorously, while Carter deftly raised the conversational bar. Carter then reached into his hip-pocket for "Gypsy." A tune first recorded some forty years ago with Chick Corea and DeJohnette, had a luster to it, a shiny new coat. Carter's walking bass allowed Rubalcaba to freely move about. Articulating every note, Rubalcaba again took his time, and explored the boundaries of Carter's stellar composition. It was time for DeJohnette to look into his treasure trove. Out came "Silver Hollow." Well sequenced, Rubalcaba was now able to move deeply in turnabout. The mesmerizing tune heightened his emotional scale, eliciting a heartfelt dive, anchored by Carter's steady, sturdy core. Years before, Rubalcaba wrote a piece dedicated to Carter. There was an entirely different vibe this time around with Carter actually playing on "Promenade." The circumstances and the depth of composition coupled to keep the sentiment and warmth of the recording session intact.

After a return to the Afro-Cuban sound of "Novia Mia," the trio transitioned to "A Quiet Place." This vintage Carter work of art was given a makeover. Its appeal, however, was mostly steeped in the grace of connectivity. The trio had reached a zenith of collective happiness and ease of conversation. In 1984, DeJohnette had honored Ahmad Jamal in song with his composition, "Ahmad the Terrible." Rubalcaba had both the pleasure and the challenge of adding his own voice, while capturing a screen shot of Jamal. With DeJohnette's groovy patterns and flair to play off, Rubalcaba moved brightly and boldly, succeeding on both counts. While Carter, forever the centerpiece, the rock, the engaging conversationalist, propelled the vocabulary. After the recording session was finished, or so they thought, the trio stayed in the studio and continued to play. They weren't recording anymore, just having fun noodling around together. Well, perhaps accidentally on purpose, it was still recording. It turned out to be the final track. "RonJackRuba" is the epitome of improvisation. Completely off the cuff, just messing with some grooves. It resulted in a cool fly-on-the-wall moment to be shared by all. ~Jim Worsleyhttps://www.allaboutjazz.com/skyline-gonzalo-rubalcaba-5passion

Skyline is a breath of fresh air, the very definition of jazz. Three cool cats chilling out and digging on each other. Skyline is a Grammy-worthy project.

Personnel: Gonzalo Rubalcaba: piano; Ron Carter: bass; Jack DeJohnette: drums.

Skyline

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Gonzalo Rubalcaba - Rapsodia

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:41
Size: 128,0 MB
Art: Front

( 6:41)  1. Contagio
( 9:46)  2. Circuito II
( 9:08)  3. Tributo
( 4:45)  4. Santo Canto (Holly Chant)
( 6:39)  5. Moose The Mooche
( 7:27)  6. Chancletera
(10:11)  7. Rapsodia Cubana

Pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba has such impressive technique that he has the potential of completely overwhelming any song he plays but Rubalcaba shows admirable restraint throughout much of this quartet date. Influenced to a degree by Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock, Rubalcaba still shows a fresh personality when he utilizes an electric keyboard on a few of the selections. His quartet (which includes trumpeter Reynaldo Melian, bassist Felipe Cabrera and drummer Julio Barreto), in addition to fine support, offers a contrasting solo voice in its virtuosic trumpeter. This is a well-rounded set of complex but fairly accessible music.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/rapsodia-mw0000111676

Personnel:  Gonzalo Rubalcaba (Piano);  Felipe Cabrera (Bass);  Julio Barreto (Drums);  Reynaldo Melian (Trumpet)

Rapsodia

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Charlie Haden with Gonzalo Rubalcaba - Land of the Sun

Styles: Post Bop, Piano Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:14
Size: 144,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:17)  1. Fuiste Tu (It Was You)
(5:08)  2. Sueno Solo COn Tu Amor (I Only Dream of Your Love)
(7:00)  3. Cancion De Cuna a Patricia (Lullaby for Patricia)
(8:06)  4. Solamente Una Vez (You Belong to My Heart))
(5:41)  5. Nostalgia
(7:07)  6. De Siempre (Forever)
(3:21)  7. Anoranza (Longing)
(4:49)  8. Cuando Te Podre Olvidar (When Will I Forget You)
(6:42)  9. Esta Tarde Vi Llover (Yesterday I Heard the Rain)
(8:58) 10. Cancion a Paola (Paola's Song)

It should come as no surprise that Land of the Sun, a collection of Mexican ballads written by three of Mexico's most prominent modern composers, is yet another chapter in Charlie Haden's continually unfolding musical biography. Haden was given a folder of songs by the late and legendary Mexican composer José Sabre Marroquín by his daughter as a thank you for his recording of "Nocturnal." Haden went over the tunes and decided to record some of them; he turned them over to pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba for arranging, employed a stellar band, and Land of the Sun is the end result. What a result. There are eight compositions by Marroquín and one each by Augustín Lara and Armando Manzanero, in their own right prolific and revered songwriters who have been recorded in this country by Presley, Sinatra, and Bennett, to name a few. The band assembled for this project is stellar Joe Lovano, Ignacio Berroa, Rubalcaba, Miguel Zenón, Oriente Lopez, Larry Koonse, Lionel Loueke, Michael Rodriguez, and Juan De La Cruz. Rubalcaba's charts don't transform the songs into jazz tunes, but rather become an entryway for melodic improvisation, rhythmic invention, and group interplay. Rubalcaba's front-line interaction with Lovano, Zenón, and Rodriguez especially on "De Siempre" is emotionally honest and musically inspiring. "Nostalgia," introduced by Spanish guitar, percussion, and piano, is a wonderful springlike bittersweet melody wrapped in a languid rhythm and made poignant first by Rodriguez, and then Zenón, before the guitars waft back in. Lara's "Solamenta una Vez" is arranged for trio here. Rubalcaba's solo, with its shifting ostinati and alternating chordal and single-note runs, is breathtaking. Lovano's lyricism on "Esta Tarde Vi Llover," by Manzanero, is played in his best Ben Webster. With skittering brush work by Berroa, Lovano accents the tune's similarities to "A Kiss Is Just a Kiss" before turning it over to Rubalcaba, who extrapolates the harmony and opens it up against De La Cruz's bongos. Land of the Sun is a deeply romantic album, but it is lush without artificial ornamentation or affectation. Musically, its refinement is such that it begs critical as well as casual listening. Hopefully this won't be the last such exercise from Haden and Rubalcaba, but an introduction.~ Thom Jurek https://www.allmusic.com/album/land-of-the-sun-mw0000637062  

Personnel:  Charlie Haden – bass;  Gonzalo Rubalcaba – piano;  Ignacio Berroa – drums;  Joe Lovano – tenor saxophone;  Miguel Zenon – alto saxophone;  Michael Rodriquez – trumpet, flugelhorn;  Oriente Lopez – flute;  Larry Koonse – guitar;  Lionel Loueke – guitar;  Juan De La Cruz – percussion

Land of the Sun

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Alex Sipiagin - From Reality and Back

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:14
Size: 163,3 MB
Art: Front

( 9:49)  1. Around the Bend
(10:03)  2. With the Tide
( 7:51)  3. From Reality and Back
(10:54)  4. End Of...
( 9:17)  5. Here and Now
( 7:41)  6. Chain Reaction
( 6:47)  7. Son Uvedeny Posle (Dream Seen Later)
( 8:50)  8. The Maze

From Reality And Back comes off as notable before a note of music ever reaches the ears. In fact, this album presents itself as a bit of a jazz PR dream: bassist Dave Holland makes a rare sideman appearance here, guitarist Pat Metheny contributed an original written strictly for this project ("Son, Uvedeny Posle"), and the rest of the band is rounded out by A-listers like pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, whose label 5passion serves as the record's home. After hearing all of that, it's tempting to say that trumpeter Alex Sipiagin is supremely lucky, but luck has little to do with this album's merits; better or more accurate to say that Sipiagin is skilled, motivated, talented and determined.  The Russian-born, Long Island-based Sipiagin is one of the most consistently creative trumpet forces on the scene today, but that's not news to most people who closely follow this art form. He's cemented his reputation as one of the best with a string of probing leader dates on the Criss Cross label, a stint with the late, great Michael Brecker, a thirteen-years-and-counting association with Holland and his band(s), and work with the Mingus Big Band. From Reality And Back is merely his latest foray into the great wide open, but words like "merely" downplay the significance of this outing; and make no mistake about it...this one is significant. 

Sipiagin spreads a wealth of musical ideas across eight tracks, creating music that's alternately edgy and clean cut, focused and far-reaching, and flexible and tight; the rhythm tandem of Holland and the indefatigable Antonio Sanchez on drums helps to rectify that last pair of opposing ideals, but everybody truly contributes to the broad scope of this record from the outset: Rubalcaba's electric piano creates the mood on the album-opening "Around The Bend," which balances its askance structure atop Holland's bass lines. Sanchez constantly twists and tweaks the rhythmic tides that he creates, and saxophonist Seamus Blake matches Sipiagin in the creativity department. Together, the two horn men run in stride, dovetail their lines, and take inspirational cues from all parties at play; they make for a formidable front line here and everywhere else. A list of highlights would have to include the brilliantly driven "End Of..." and Sipiagin's head-turner-of-a-solo on "With The Tide," but such lists are pointless when everything on a record could make the cut; not a weak spot can be found on From Reality And Back. ~ Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/from-reality-and-back-alex-sipiagin-5passion-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: Alex Sipiagin: trumpet; Seamus Blake: tenor saxophone; Gonzalo Rubalcaba: piano; Dave Holland: bass; Antonio Sanchez: drums.

From Reality and Back

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Ithamara Koorax - Brazilian Butterfly

Styles: Vocal, Brazilian Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 79:38
Size: 185,7 MB
Art: Front

( 8:24)  1. O Vento
( 6:38)  2. Escravos De Jo
(10:23)  3. Amor Em Jacuma
( 6:06)  4. Lamento Negro
( 6:45)  5. Butterfly
( 6:29)  6. Fica Mal Com Deus
( 8:49)  7. Noite De Temporal
( 4:11)  8. A Lenda Do Abaete
( 5:52)  9. Coco Penerue
( 7:05) 10. Carinhoso
( 8:52) 11. Frenetico

Except for two ballads the cosmopolitan "Carinhoso with her Brazilian jazz fusion compatriots Azymuth, and Herbie Hancock's title track Ithamara Koorax's ninth album is her most adventurous release. It seems constructed to honor legendary Brazilian vocalist Flora Purim and her husband/bandleader/percussionist Airto. This Brazilian Butterfly soars and flutters while multiple percussionists (often as many as four on the same song, most often led by the late and legendary Dom Um Romão, with Koorax frequently flailing away among them) knit together, pull apart, then reweave hot thick blankets of Brazilian rhythm. Romão's "Amor Em Jacuma occasions an international jazz jam as Ron Carter's thoroughly upright acoustic bass and Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba's roiling piano set table for a solo helping of meaty trombone from Raul de Souza of Brazil. Pianist Francesco Gazzara lovingly renders Hancock's title tune, especially in his solo, which builds up chords then reconsiders their construction in equal parts musical architecture and alchemy. Koorax breathes her most romantic vocal, and it's hard to imagine that many mortals can resist her languid invitation to "Stay awhile... which just seems to float throughout the air forever, like... a Brazilian butterfly.  

The remaining material seems specifically composed and arranged to stress test Koorax's four-octave range. She swings joyously from the framework of Milton Nascimento's "Escravos de Jo, a melodic abstraction airy and inscrutable not packed full but no less complex as Joni Mitchell's Shadows & Light collaborations with Pat Metheny and Jaco Pastorius. Her voice soars above the Afro-macumba chant "Lamento Negro and streams bright as dawn to open "Fica Mal Com Deus, then completely changes tone and color by digging into the low notes with the growling fury of a blasting trumpet. The opening "O Vento and closing "Frenetico drive Koorax's Brazilian journey further into outer space: Her voice intricately navigates the thorny, shimmering thicket of electric piano and four percussionists in "O Vento and hangs in "Frenetico, where the background frame of congas, bass drum and cymbal (not her voice) emerges as the lead instruments. Each is an excellent vehicle for discovering, then remembering, that Brazilian Butterfly is Koorax's most fertile adventure in exploring the boundaries of contemporary Brazilian vocal music. ~ Chris M.Slawecki https://www.allaboutjazz.com/brazilian-butterfly-ithamara-koorax-irma-molto-jazz-review-by-chris-m-slawecki.php

Personnel: Ithamara Koorax (vocals, percussion); Eloir de Moraes (vocals, rap vocals, bass drum, cymbals, percussion); Thiago de Mello (vocals, acoustic guitar, berimbau, piano, percussion); Dom Um Romao (vocals, drums, percussion); Nelson Angelo (guitar, acoustic guitar); Francesco Gazzara (guitar, nylon-string guitar, piano, electric piano, Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards); José Ramos (flute, baritone saxophone); Carlos Malta (bass flute); Raul de Souza (trombone); Carlos Fuchs, Gonzalo Rubalcaba (piano); José Roberto Bertrami (electric piano, Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards); Paula Faour (electric piano, keyboards); Manuel Gusmao, Massimo Sanna (acoustic bass); Jorge Pescara (electric bass, fretless bass); Alex Malheiros (electric bass); Ivan Conti (drums); Marcelo Salazar (congas, bongos, percussion); Sidinho Moreira (bongos, percussion); Mauro Mirti, Eduardo Piloto Barretto, Jadir de Castro, Gaudencio Thiago De Mello, Laudir DeOliveira, Arnaldo DeSouteiro (percussion).

Brazilian Butterfly

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Ithamara Koorax - Love Dance - The Ballad Album

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:41
Size: 124,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:15)  1. Ligia
(2:17)  2. I loved you
(7:21)  3. Love Dance
(4:15)  4. La Puerta
(9:54)  5. Man Alone
(5:36)  6. Amparo
(4:20)  7. Someday
(4:58)  8. Flame
(2:12)  9. April in Paris
(7:30) 10. Blauauge

Ithamara Koorax has released several albums in Brazil and Japan, but Love Dance is only the second US album for this star from Rio, the follow-up to her debut Serenade in Blue. With her unmistakable voice, Koorax sings English, Portuguese, and Spanish love songs composed by such masters as Antonio Carlos Jobim, Luiz Bonfá, Marcos Valle and Ivan Lins, plus songs by Claus Ogerman and Jurgen Friedrich (in German). Her voice manifests this diversity to its advantage: Koorax does not sound like a Brazilian singer or an American singer or a jazz singer or a pop or Latin singer. She sounds like she can sing just about anything. Subtitle this set “The Dedication Album”: the soothing and seductive opening version of Jobim’s “Ligia” is dedicated to Stanley Turrentine; “Man Alone” to Jimmy Scott; “Blauauge,” a duet with composer Friedrich on piano, to Art Farmer; and the title track to Mark Murphy (whose 1988 Milestone session, September Ballads, inspired this Dance ). With "Love Dance," performed with Azymuth, Koorax transforms one of Brazilian composer Ivan Lins’ finest moments into one of her own finest moments, too. 

She sails with this smooth fusion band, letting the last few notes of a phrase throatily fade in a husky whisper (like Stan Getz on sax), sharpening and rounding notes’ edges, then exploding like brilliant sunlight to close. Love Dance also features John McLaughlin’s first date supporting a vocalist (“Man Alone”) and album notes by Ira Gitler, neither honor a small one. ~ Chris M.Slawecki https://www.allaboutjazz.com/love-dance-the-ballad-album-ithamara-koorax-fantasy-jazz-review-by-chris-m-slawecki.php

Personnel: Personnel: Ithamara Koorax (vocals); Nelson Angelo (acoustic guitar, piano); Luiz Bonfá (acoustic guitar); John McLaughlin (electric guitar); Jose Carlos Ramos (flute); Juarez Araújo (clarinet); Mario Castro-Neves (piano, keyboards); Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Jurgen Friedrich (piano); Marcos Valle (keyboards); Manuel Gusmao, Sergio Barroso (acoustic bass); Jorjao Carvalho, Alex Malheiros (electric bass); Jorge Pescara (fretless bass); Cesar Machado, Ivan Conti, Joao Palma (drums); Sidinho Moreira, Dom Um Romao, Arnaldo DeSouteiro (percussion).

Love Dance - The Ballad Album

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Various - Miles Espanol (2-Disc Set)

Conceived and Produced by Bob Belden, Miles Espanol is an amazing journey into the Spanish soul of Miles Davis---and beyond. In May of 2010, a group of Miles Davis alumni, New York's finest Latin Jazz players, and a contingent of exceptional Spanish flamenco musicians, gathered at Sear Sound Studios in Manhattan for an unprecedented recording event. MILES ESPANOL travels more deeply than ever before into the connective tissue between the jazz innovations of Miles Davis and the modern masters who performed in his bands; and the dramatic, romantic soul of Spanish, Latin and Moorish traditional and contemporary music.

Two CDs of material were recorded, blending two different categories of repertoire. New interpretations and arrangements of Miles classics from Sketches Of Spain (Concierto de Aranjuez, Saeta/Pan Piper Medley , Solea), Kind Of Blue (Flamenco Sketches), and Someday My Prince Will Come (Teo aka Teo/Neo.) New compositions by principals in the sessions Chick Corea, Jack DeJohnette, John Scofield, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, etc. that enhance and extend the musical concepts into the multicultural language of 21st Century Jazz.

THE PLAYERS: Chick Corea, Jack DeJohnette, John Scofield, Ron Carter, Sammy Figueroa, Sonny Fortune, Alex Acuña, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Rabih Abu-Khalil, Chano Domínguez, Jorge Pardo, Carles Benavent, Eddie Gomez, Jerry Gonzalez, Cristina Pato, Jaco Abe, Edsel Gomez, Adam Rudolph, Brahim Fribgane, Edmar Castañeda, Niño Josele, Antonio Sanchez, John Benitez.

Album: Miles Espanol (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:43
Size: 127.6 MB
Styles: World jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[ 9:26] 1. Rabih Abou Khalil, Edmar Castañeda & Alex Acuña - Concierto De Aranjuez
[10:03] 2. Chick Corea, Ron Carter, Antonio Sanchez & Jorge Pardo - Trampolin
[ 9:38] 3. Rabih Abou Khalil, Chano Domínguez & Alex Acuña - Just Three Miles
[ 4:51] 4. Niño Joseles & Jorge Pardo - Duende
[ 5:29] 5. Gonzalo Rubalcaba - Fantasia Por Miles Y Gil
[ 4:23] 6. Alex Acuña, Adam Rudolph & Niño Joseles - Broto Y Cayo
[ 4:06] 7. Edsel Gomez, Alex Acuña, John Benitez & Sammy Figueroa - Paisaje
[ 7:45] 8. Cristina Pato & Edmar Castañeda - Saeta Pan Piper

Miles Espanol (Disc 1)

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Album: Miles Espanol (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:32
Size: 134.0 MB
Styles: World jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[10:25] 1. Jack Dejohnette, Chano Domínguez, Eddie Gomez & Jorge Pardo - Spantango
[ 7:10] 2. Sonny Fortune, Jerry Gonzalez, Chano Domínguez, Sammy Figueroa, Alex Acuña & John Benitez - Flamenco Sketches
[ 4:56] 3. Chick Corea, Carles Benavent, Jack Dejohnette & Niño Joseles - Tirititran
[ 7:01] 4. John Scofield, Chick Corea, Jack Dejohnette & Eddie Gomez - El Swing
[ 5:14] 5. Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Ron Carter & Alex Acuña - Momento
[ 8:59] 6. Edsel Gomez, Alex Acuña, John Benitez & Sammy Figueroa - Teo Neo
[ 7:31] 7. Niño Joseles & Chano Domínguez - Beautiful Love
[ 7:13] 8. Jaco Abel, Victor Prieto & Carles Benavent - Solea

Miles Espanol (Disc 2)

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Charlie Haden & Gonzalo Rubalcaba - Tokyo Adagio

Styles: Jazz, Straight-ahead/Mainstream 
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:49
Size: 121,5 MB
Art: Front + Back

( 9:05)  1. En La Orilla Del Mundo
(11:54)  2. My Love And I
( 8:29)  3. When Will The Blues Leave
( 5:47)  4. Sandino
( 9:12) 5. Solamente Una Vez (You Belong To My Heart)
( 7:19)  6. Transparence

Tokyo Adagio is a posthumous release, but one that Charlie Haden ardently desired prior to his passing in July 2014. The album marks the pinnacle of the American bassists collaborations with Gonzalo Rubalcaba, the pianist of genius he first encountered in Cuba in 1986, and with whom Charlie immediately developed a bond bordering on the telepathic. Several recordings the famous Montreal Tapes (1998), the studio albums Nocturne (2001) and Land of the Sun (2004) are evidence of the deep concordance of these two musicians, but no recording had yet captured the communal purity with which the duo displayed for the audience at the Blue Note Tokyo on consecutive evenings in the Spring of 2005. 

Ten years on, Impulse!/Universal Music Classics are happy to publish this unique eyewitness account with a title to Charlies taste, since he often referred to himself as an adagio guy. Tokyo Adagio is both a tribute and a testament to the nobility of his inimitable grace; through this release the spirit of Charlie Haden will endure. Despite the 26-year gap in our ages, he never treated me as an inferior in any sense. We had each other s confidence. We could talk about politics, life, family, business. Spending so much time with him, I learned not only about music, but also about being. Our connection was about love, for the music and for our families, and for each other. ~ Gonzalo Rubalcaba https://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Adagio-Charlie-Haden/dp/B00WFKXPKK

Personnel: Gonzalo Rubalcaba (piano);  Charlie Haden (bass).

Tokyo Adagio

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Gonzalo Rubalcaba - Suite Caminos

Size: 192,3 MB
Time: 83:44
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz: Afro Cuban Jazz
Art: Front

01. Sendero De Aliento ( 9:08)
02. El Hijo Mensajero ( 9:21)
03. Destino Sin Fin (10:00)
04. Sendero De Espuma (14:44)
05. Santa Meta (10:57)
06. Alameda De Vientos (Feat. John Mclaughlin) ( 9:24)
07. Via Prodigiosa ( 6:30)
08. Ronda De Suerte (13:36)

Gonzalo Julio Gonzalez Fonseca was born in post-revolutionary Havana into a musical family rich in the traditions of the country’s artistic past. During his childhood, in addition to the standard fare of elementary schools, Gonzalo absorbed the Cuban musical heritage of his nascent environment through personal contacts within his family, notably his father, pianist Guillermo Rubalcaba and his two brothers (pianist and bassist) as well as from leading musicians who were frequent houseguests: Frank Emilio, Peruchin, Felipe Dulzaides and others. He also assimilated, through scarce and treasured recordings, the tunes and styles of 40's – 70's US jazz masters: Thelonius Monk,Bud Powell, Oscar Peterson among pianists; and instrumentalists Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Art Blakey. Gonzalo loved drumming and early in his career studied both piano and drums. Despite the diversity of his background, Gonzalo’s initial formal musical training was entirely classical. He began his training at Manuel Saumell Conservatory at age 9, where he finally chose the piano as his main instrument. He moved up to middle-school at Amadeo Roldan Conservatory and finally earned his degree in music composition from Havana’s Institute of Fine Arts in 1983.
By that time he was already playing in clubs and music halls in Havana. He toured France and Africa with Orquesta Aragon in 1980 and introduced his ownGrupo Projecto to the North Sea and Berlin Festivals in 1985. Egrem Studios of Havana was the first to record his music during the early and mid ’80's and these discs, Inicio, an album of piano solos andConcierto Negro, are still available. Beginning in 1986 Gonzalo began recording for Messidor of Frankfurt, Germany and put out three highly acclaimed albums for that label with his Cuban Quartet entitled Mi Gran Pasion,Live in Havana, and Giraldilla. On the strength of these works Gonzalo began attracting international attention and in 1986 a chance meeting in Havana with bassist Charlie Haden brought him to the attention of Blue Note Records‘ president, Bruce Lundvall, and thus began an association first withToshiba/EMI of Japan and later with Blue Note in the US which resulted in 14 discs being released. (See the Discography page for a complete listing.) In July 1990, he appeared as a surprise guest in an historic performance, available on the CD Discovery with Charlie Haden and Paul Motian (ex Bill Evans trio members) at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland.

Further works eventually brought Gonzalo both a Latin Grammy for Jazz Album of the Year, Supernova, as well as a Grammy for co-production with Charlie Haden on Nocturne, a Verve release of Cuban and Mexican boleros and ballads. Gonzalo has to his credit 15 Grammy nominations, including five for Jazz Album of the Year, Rapsodia in 1995, Antiguoand Inner Voyage in 1999, Supernova in 2002, Avatar in 2008. Among recent honors, in June 2001 Gonzalo received the SFJAZZ Leaders Circle Laureate Award and in 2002 he performed as Artist-in-Residence at the Montreal Jazz Festival together with Chucho Valdez. Gonzalo has performed with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Ignacio Berroa, Chick Corea, Al DiMeola, Herbie Hancock,Charlie Haden, Katia Labeque, Richard Galliano, Francisco Cepsedes, Tony Martinez, Issac Delgado, Juan Luis Guerra, Dave Holland, Chris Potter, Eric Harland, Dennis Chambers, Brian Bromberg, Ron Carter, Yosvany Terry,Matt Brewer, Mike Rodriguez, Marcus Gilmore, Pat Martino, Giovanni Hidalgo,John Patitucci, Jack DeJohnette, Joao Bosco, Eric Harland , Ivan Linz and many others.

Suite Caminos

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Charlie Haden - Nocturne

Styles: Jazz, Straight-ahead/Mainstream
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:43
Size: 154,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:14)  1. En la Orilla del Mundo  (At The Edge Of The World)
(5:44)  2. Noche de Ronda (Night Of Wandering)
(6:55)  3. Nocturnal
(5:37)  4. Claro de Luna (Moonlight)
(6:01)  5. Yo sin Ti (Me Without You)
(5:30)  6. No Te Empenes Mas (Don't Try Anymore)
(6:12)  7. Transparence
(5:57)  8. El Ciego (The Blind)
(6:39)  9. Nightfall
(6:18) 10. Tres Palabras (Three Words)
(6:32) 11. Contigo en la Distancia/En Nosotros (With You In The Distance / In Us)

Bassist Charlie Haden has been a masterful contributor to everything from Ornette Coleman's pioneering outside ensembles and Keith Jarrett's slashing groups to his own freewheeling, nearly anarchic Liberation Music Orchestra. Haden's also proven the ideal duet partner, having teamed with pianist Hampton Hawes, Coleman, guitarist Pat Metheny and the flamboyant Cuban keyboardist Gonzalo Rubalcaba on previous releases. On Nocturne, Haden and Rubalcaba aren't joining forces on some fierce encounter or groundbreaking project. Instead, they are exploring another of Haden's passions, the bolero, in both its Cuban and Mexican variations. These are 11 lush, gorgeous, highly sensual pieces featuring, in addition to Haden's prodigious bass and Rubalcaba's disciplined yet spicy piano, excellent rhythmic touches from Ignacio Berroa and sensitive guest contributions from four major players.

Guitarist Pat Metheny displays a soft, beguiling side on "Noche de Ronda," while David Sanchez and Joe Lovano show they can play breezy tenor-sax solos as well as boisterous ones on their tunes. The ringer proves to be violinist Federico Britos Ruiz, however. His light playing almost lulls the listener to sleep at times, yet he has a rich, vivid sound on his three numbers. Rubalcaba on many occasions has been more flash than invention, but there are no wasted notes or empty rhythmic barrages on Nocturne. He is careful never to clash with Haden, who guides the band through these pieces with grace and care. Haden doesn't try to dominate any song, yet is very much at the center of each number, either aiding the soloist or interacting with Berroa to ably punctuate or conclude the composition. There is absolutely nothing to dislike about this date, although it arguably might have been even better if a first-class vocalist like Compay Segundo had been on board. Still, Nocturne remains a great introduction to the bolero for those who aren't familiar with it, and an excellent addition to the library of fans who already love it. ~ Ron Wynn  http://jazztimes.com/articles/12491-nocturne-charlie-haden-featuring-gonzalo-rubalcaba

Personnel: Charlie Haden- bass; Gonzalo Rubalcaba- piano; Ignacio Berroa- drums, percussion; Joe Lovano, David Sanchez- tenor saxophone; Federico Britos Ruiz- violin; Pat Metheny- acoustic guitar on "Noche de Ronda."

Nocturne

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Hot Club Of The Americas - Federico Britos Presents Hot Club Of The Americas

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:29
Size: 140.8 MB
Styles: Latin jazz, Bossa Nova, Samba
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[4:11] 1. The Sheik Of Araby
[4:29] 2. J'attendrai (Feat. Hendrik Meurkens)
[6:03] 3. I'm Confessin' That I Love You (Feat. Gonzalo Rubalcaba)
[5:26] 4. Djangology
[6:17] 5. La Vie En Rose (English Version) [feat. Cécile Mclorin Salvant]
[5:07] 6. Dark Eyes (Feat. Giovanni Hidalgo)
[4:55] 7. Melodie Au Crepuscle (Feat. Antônio Adolfo)
[3:56] 8. Exactly Like You
[4:58] 9. Nuages
[4:24] 10. Honeysuckle Rose
[5:19] 11. Tears
[6:18] 12. La Vie En Rose (French Version) [feat. Cécile Mclorin Salvant]

Federico Britos - Violin; Jorge Garcia - Guitar; Felix Gomez - Piano; Renyel Rivero - Bass; Carlomagno Araya - Drums; Edwin Bonilla - Percussion.

For years Federico Britos has performed sets all over the world that include the music of the Hot Club of France and Latin Jazz. Carlomagno Araya, Federico's drummer, had the idea of recording music frequently performed by Stephane Grappelli but in Latin Jazz styles. From this concept, and the friendly contribution of Federico's friend, Nat Chediak, was born the name Hot Club of The Americas. It is a band that performs a unique blend of Latin and Gypsy Jazz.

Recording began and friends of Federico started signing up to take part. Featured guest artists include, Gonzalo Rubalcaba (piano), Giovanni Hidalgo (congas), Cecile McLorin Salvant (voice), Antonio Adolfo (piano) and Hendrik Meurkens (harmonica).

All of the tracks were arranged by Hugo Sanchez with the exception of the Samba and Bossa Nova which were arranged by Jaui Schneider.

Federico Britos Presents Hot Club Of The Americas

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