Pure Mezcla – Direct from Cuba Live at Yoshi’s Oakland
Pablo Menéndez & Mezcla
Pure Mezcla – Direct from Cuba Live at Yoshi’s Oakland (Tilford Productions TP114, 2014)
This superb album captures live a performance by Mezcla, one of the most exciting and original bands in Cuba. Led by electric guitarist Pablo Menéndez, Mezcla brings together a sizzling hot mix of Latin jazz, rock, santeria chants, timba and other Cuban and Caribbean musical forms.
The band plays a fusion of great original pieces by Pablo Menéndez and equally wonderful compositions by other composers like Chucho Valdés, Gerardo Alfonso, José Acosta and Santa Maldonado, as well as a piece by Irving Berlin titled ‘I’ll See you in Cuba’ (a retro piece and my least favorite) and the classic ‘Round Midnight’ by Thelonious Monk.
There are a lot of album highlights in this album like the opening piece ‘Mambo influenciado,’ a superb Afro-Cuban Latin jazz-rock composition with scorching guitar solos. Another stand out is ‘Hijos de la Mezcla’ where the percussion builds up and Menendez delivers another stellar guitar performance.
On ‘Suzi’s Mood,’ Mezcla presents one of its new stars, the young violinist Julio Valdés. He shows his impressive dexterity here with electrifying violin solos and interplay with Menendez’s guitar. Remember his name. This is one of the great new instrumentalists from Cuba.
I really love Cuban afro rock. Bands like Sintesis and Mezcla have been mixing progressive rock and fusion with santeria chants for many years. Pablo Menéndez connects both bands so it’s no surprise that several of the pieces on Pure Mezcla – Direct from Cuba Live at Yoshi’s Oakland have that unmistakable Mezcla and Sintesis sound. ‘Oyá-Echubelkeo’, ‘Akete Oba Oba’ and ‘Imbe Imbe Mayeyé’ are other high points in the album; a mesmerizing style that it’s not found elsewhere.
One of the most unexpected tracks on the album is a bachata version of ‘Round Midnight’. It’s Mezcla’s tribute to American jazz and their Dominican island neighbors.
The Mezcla lineup on this occasion features Pablo Menéndez on guitar and vocals; rhythm maestro Octavio Rodríguez on drums, percussion and vocals; famed musician Roberto Smith “El Capitán on drums, percussion and vocals; Julio Valdés on violin, keyboards and vocals; and José Hermida on bass.
Pure Mezcla – Direct from Cuba Live at Yoshi’s Oakland is a first-rate recording of Cuban hybridization, loaded with dazzling electric and acoustic interplay, irresistible rhythms and captivating melodies.
The initial digital release will be on latinpulsemusic.com on February 15 and will be available at other online retailers at a later time. There is no release date for the CD yet.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
Thank you for the insightful review!
Incidentally, I should probably share that we included “I’ll See You in C.U.B.A.” even though it is so very different than the rest of the album for a couple of reasons:
1. With the current debate about US-Cuba relations taking place as I type, this Irving Berlin classic practically screamed “Include Me!”
2. It shows an interesting side to some of the musicians. Not many North Americans know that some of the violinists in Cuba can play swing fiddle as Julio Valdés does here, for example, and Pablo, the leader, has also played on stage with artists like Bonnie Raitt now and then.
That being said, as you correctly observed, the song is completely different than the rest of the album, which we hope that fans of progressive Cuban music everywhere will enjoy.
William “Bill” Tilford, Producer