Valera, Manuel / Seasons, The
Album: Seasons, The   Collection:Jazz
Artist:Valera, Manuel   Added:Jun 2017
Label:Mavo Records  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2017-06-21 Pull Date: 2017-08-23 Charts: Jazz
Week Ending: Aug 20 Aug 13 Aug 6 Jul 30 Jul 23 Jul 16 Jul 9
Airplays: 1 1 2 1 1 3 1

Recent Airplay
1. Aug 25, 2017: Rebop
In The Eye Of The Beholder
4. Aug 11, 2017: Rebop
Hallelujah
2. Aug 24, 2017: Clean Copper Radio Talk & Hot Topics
Opening, Hallelujah, What Is This Thing Called Love
5. Aug 04, 2017: Rebop
Opening
3. Aug 18, 2017: Rebop
The Seasons: Movement I "Spring"
6. Aug 03, 2017: No Cover, No Minimum
In The Eye Of The Beholder

Album Review
Be Sharp
Reviewed 2017-06-07
JAZZ PIANO TRIO

Havana born pianist/composer Manuel Valera leads a piano-bass-drums trio through a set of straight-forward, contemporary jazz (not especially Latin except here and there). Seven of eleven tracks are original compositions. Four tracks comprise a “Four Seasons” suite.

All instrumental. No FCC issues.

1 ** Very fast. Propulsive, forceful, very rhythmic. Especially good drumming. (5:10)
2 ** Very fast. Bright, expressive, high energy. Strong bass and drums. (6:37)
3 Slow. Impressionistic piano fantasy. Lovely melody; gentle rhythm section. (5:58)
4 * Mid-fast. Stirring, uplifting piano. Long bass solo. (6:24)
5 Slow. Improvisation on a Beatles tune. Pretty melody, but not much to it. (6:08)
Suite: “The Seasons”. (First three movements have similar tempo, texture, style.)
6 * Mid-tempo to fast. Expressive, powerful playing. Suggestive of a rain shower? (5:54)
7 Mid-tempo to fast. Some passages light-hearted; others are heavy, pounding. (8:24)
8 Mid-tempo. A bit more abstract, perhaps improvised. (5:52)
9 ** Mid-slow. Gentler. Expressive & lyrical. Some Latin percussion. Fade out. (3:36)
10 Mid-fast. Cole Porter song is deconstructed, abstracted, spun around, remade. (6:58)
11 * Slow. Theme & variations on Leonhard Cohen’s hymn. Deep & moving. (5:18)

Track Listing
1. Opening   6. The Seasons: Movement I "Spring"
2. In The Eye Of The Beholder   7. The Seasons: Movement Ii "Summer"
3. Tres Palabras   8. The Seasons: Movement Iii "Fall"
4. Hopeful   9. The Seasons: Movement Iv "Winter"
5. In My Life   10. What Is This Thing Called Love
  11. Hallelujah