Miller, Bowyer, Beck, Bourland, Carollo, Brandman, Mobley, Murray – Abrazo – The Havana Sessions (Ansonica Records, 2016)
Abrazo – The Havana Sessions contains newly composed music for big band, small jazz combo, choir, and chamber ensembles. The composers are American, the performers are Cuban. This collaboration was easier after the restoration of diplomatic connections between the United States and Cuba in December 2014.
The list of composers includes Bunny Beck, Roger Bourland, Donald Bowyer, Margaret Brandman, John Carollo, Timothy Miller, Mel Mobley, and Michael Murray. The Cuban musicians are current or former members of the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba, the Buena Vista Social Club, Irakere, and other ensembles.
Abrazo is released under Ansonica Records, a new imprint created by Parma Records. “Producing new music by living composers is my passion, and hearing musicians play with this level of preparation, dedication, and ingenuity was invigorating,” says Parma Recordings CEO Bob Lord. “We went right to the source, and sure enough they brought a totally new dimension to the music – a Cuban dimension, a feel and a sound and a perspective unlike anything else in the world.”
The album contains one disc featuring the jazz works. The musicians deliver an outstanding form of Latin Jazz infused with Cuban styles like son, danzón, cha-cha-cha, and more. The ensemble includes much-admired pianist Rolando Luna, who was a member of Buena Vista Social Club and Omara Portuondo’s band.
Disc 2 contains the classical works featuring impressive interpretations of madrigals, duets, quartets and other formats.
Abrazo – The Havana Sessions demonstrates the extraordinary musical talent found in Cuba, spanning a wide-range of musical styles.
By Abrazo – The Havana Sessions in the Americas
Buy Abrazo: The Havana Sessions in Europe
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.
