MICHELE ROSEWOMAN’S NEW YOR-UBA: 30 Years
Advance Dance, 2013

LATIN JAZZ – Pianist Michele Rosewoman celebrates three decades of blending folkloric Cuban music with modern jazz in a joyous, supremely listenable two-disc set. It’s a large band but the feeling is very friendly and almost intimate, like a family, perhaps because Rosewoman’s lyrical piano is front and center throughout. Most tracks have vocals in Spanish. Really fine performances from all.

Fo’s Picks: Disc 1 – any track! Disc 2 – 3, 4, 6, 7

DISC ONE

1. 5:40 – lovely melodic eleggua invocation: a free-flowing band conversation
2. 7:48 – dancing midtempo with rich percussion and upbeat group vocals
3. 11:56 – midtempo, with a dramatic, overlapping feel & strong vocals, nice piano/trumpet dialogue and vocal chant near the end
4. 8:23 – very modern, angular & playful: solos whirl over a striding groove
5. 4:09 – funky/jerky percussive strut: hard-hitting male vocal, horn breakdown
6. 9:10 – call & response intro; very cool electric groove with deep percussion
7. 3:13 – gorgeous piano weaves through a vocal duet

DISC TWO

1. 8:05 – steps carefully, steady percussion & vocal chorus, oblique harmony
2. 9:08 – nice urban rumba: vocal interplay over deep perc & bright piano
3. 4:49 – neat sound here: strutting rhythm, spirited piano & vocal, sax break
4. 11:12 – very interesting: odd hopscotch horns slip into an angular electric vibe, slippery solos from Rhodes, trumpet; hot drum jam ending
5. 7:33 – trilling bird sounds & mostly-English vocal, slow horn-section break
6. 5:00 – cool broken-down strut: jabbing piano & horn confusion; chant at end
7. 9:08 – gently rocking call & response, glides forward with serene elegance

[ Fo ] - 29 September 2013