Reencuentros, Live at the Grand Theater of Havana (Descaga SARL, 2011)
The grand maestro of the Cuban flute, Orlando Valle “Maraca” has released this double live set titled Reencuentros, which includes an audio CD and a DVD. Reencuentros features Maraca and his Latin Jazz All Stars, an ensemble of some of Latin jazz’s finest musicians, along with the renowned Orquesta de Cámara de La Habana.
On this live recording made at the Grand Theater of Havana, Maraca explores the connections between Afro-Cuban and classical music, including traditional Cuban ballroom dances like danzón and African rooted pieces such as ‘Camerata en guaguanco,’ ‘Afro’ and ‘Noche de batá.’ Most of the tracks are original pieces by Maraca, demonstrating that he is not only a masterful musician, but also a highly reputable composer.
The artists on the album include the dream band of Giovanni Hidalgo on congas, David Sánchez on tenor sax, Horacio “El Negro” Hernández on drums, Harold Lopez-Nussa on piano, Hugh Fraser on trombone, Julio Padrón on trumpet, Feliciano Arango on bass, Yusef Diaz on keyboards, as well as Japanese violinist Sayaka.
The CD contains 7 tracks while the accompanying DVD shows video versions of the same pieces with a few extras.
Reencuentros, Live at the Grand Theater of Havana is a landmark live audio and video set that combines the best of Afro-Cuban music and chamber music.
The CD/DVD is available from cdbaby.
Listen to samples and buy MP3s
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.
