O'farrill, Arturo / Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra / Cuba: The Conversation Continues
Album: Cuba: The Conversation Continues   Collection:Jazz
Artist:O'farrill, Arturo / Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra   Added:Aug 2015
Label:Motema Music  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2015-09-11 Pull Date: 2015-11-13 Charts: Jazz
Week Ending: Nov 15 Nov 8 Oct 11 Oct 4 Sep 27 Sep 20
Airplays: 1 2 2 3 1 3

Recent Airplay
1. Mar 07, 2022: Melange (rebroadcast from Oct 1, 2015)
Guajira Simple
4. Aug 07, 2021: Music Casserole (rebroadcast from Sep 19, 2015)
The Afro Latin Jazz Suite, Movement I: Mother Africa, Second Lina Soca (Brudda Singh)
2. Sep 09, 2021: Rebop (rebroadcast from Oct 2, 2015)
The Afro Latin Jazz Suite, Movement I: Mother Africa, The Triumphant Journey
5. Mar 25, 2016: Rebop
The Triumphant Journey
3. Aug 16, 2021: Melange (rebroadcast from Oct 1, 2015)
Guajira Simple
6. Nov 14, 2015: Music Casserole
Guajira Simple

Album Review
Margy Kahn
Reviewed 2015-09-02
Compositions by 5 American and 4 Cuban composers. Lots of virtuoso musicianship; joyous sounds; next gen from Buena Vista Social; very sophisticated musically – 2 discs
No FCC issues

Disc 1
**1. The Triumphant Journey – multilayered, multi-timbered, moves right along with featured solos; very upbeat; bass instrumentation very cool; nice clean ending 6:04

2. Mother Africa – starts choppier rhythmically, virtuoso soprano horn; quiets down; lots of variation; solos; big band sound with large horn section segueing into simple African percussion and back to bigger band; kind of all over the map musically 9:47

3. All of the Americas trilling flute sounds to start; light, breezy, bouncy, percussion solos; 6:11

*4-Movement III:Adagio – contemplative; I wish it were longer 1:33

*5-The Afro Latin Jazz Suite, Movement IV: What Now? – punchy; intricate piano with equally intricate percussion plus horns; keeps moving; nice ending 4:13

**6-Guajira Simple – starts very quietly with solo piano; adds instrumentation but stays quiet; nice flute work; louder & then quiet again; piano motifs really pretty; quick ending 9:29

7-Alabanza – melange of sounds at beginning; hard to tell where it's headed; kind of all over the place, as it turns out; nice flute work; nice Yoruban drums at end 9:46

*8-Blues Guaguancó – vocal; sounds more like Buena Vista Social; plus scat 6:02

Disc 2

Vaca Frita turntable scratching here for those who like that sort of thing along with Cuban dance music and lots of trumpet and sax; nice piano work toward end 8:34

*Just One Moment--lots of horns! Some nice riffs --3:08

**El Bombón- vocals with orchestra and marimbas! As well as a “tres” Cuban stringed instrument and guiro--7:09

**Second Lina Soca dance song with vocals in English- happy sound - 6:18

There’s a Statue of Jose Martí in Central Park -more like a serious jazz composition; complex 13:08

Track Listing
1. The Triumphant Journey   7. Alabanza
2. The Afro Latin Jazz Suite, Movement I: Mother Africa   8. Blues Guaguancó
3. The Afro Latin Jazz Suite, Movement Ii: All Of The Americas   9. Vaca Frita
4. The Afro Latin Jazz Suite, Movement Iii: Adagio   10. Just One Moment
5. The Afro Latin Jazz Suite, Movement Iv: What Now?   11. El Bombón
6. Guajira Simple   12. Second Lina Soca (Brudda Singh)
  13. There's A Statue Of Jose Marti In Central Park (Featuring Rudresh Mahanthappa)