Linda [5:23]
¡Bomba! [5:38]
Si, Canada [3:02]
Caravan [5:34]
Palo [2:50]
Eliptico [4:29]
Muevete y Goza [2:50]
Y Ahora Que [4:25]
Homenaje a Ruben Gonzalez [4:15]
Entre Sol y Luz [4:20]
Oya [5:05]
Bomba:
Chris Andrew (piano)
Rubim de Toledo (bass)
Mario Allende (congas, percussion)
With guests:
Lusita Orbegoso (vocals)
Neraldo Duran Torriente (violin)
Livan Morejon Quian (saxophone, flute)
Raul Gomez Tabera (drums, timbales)
Sandro Dominelli (drums)
Recorded 2005.
The trio at the core of this
entertaining recording, Bomba, are new to
me. So far as I can work out from the rather
sketchy documentation, they are based in Canada.
On the present CD their collaboration with
Cuban musicians presumably relates to / or
was part of that larger process of collaboration
described in the brief notes provided: "The
music that you hold in your hands was born
between Sun and Light. Entre Sol y Luz.
These are the names of the streets in Old
Havana where the 360-year old Convento di
Santa Clara still stands. For more than a
month at the historic convent, the musicians
on this recording collaborated with Calgary’s
Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, creating a work
that would be called "¡Bulla!".
Whatever the precise relationship
between the sounds on the disc and the collaboration
with a dance troupe, the most important thing
to say is that the sounds are mostly fascinating
and engaging. Bomba clearly have a very sure
understanding of the latin jazz idiom. Andrew
is a hard driving and melodically fertile
pianist, and Rubim de Toledo and Mario Allende
(assisted by the additional percussion of
Tabera and Dominelli) produce some compelling
and invigorating rhythms.
Some of the material is made
up of originals. ‘Linda’ ‘¡Bulla!’, ‘Eliptico’,
‘Homenaje a Ruben Gonzalez’ and ‘Entre Sol
y Luz’ are all compositions by Chris Andrew.
Two tracks – ‘Si, Canada’ and ‘Muevete y Goza’
- are attributed to the partnership of Andrew
and violinist Neraldo Duran Torriente; two
others (‘Palo’ and ‘Oya’) nare arrangements
of traditional tunes. And there’s one jazz
standard – ‘Caravan’. All are treated to workouts
which are both powerful and sensitive. Andrew
is a consistently good soloist; Torriente’s
contributions on violin are of a high standard
(both Andrew and Torriente play with great
elegance and beauty on the title track). Reeds
player Livan Morejon Quian doesn’t, perhaps,
do anything very strikingly distinctive or
individual, but he is an effective voice in
the group’s larger palette of tone and rhythm.
Not, to be sure, music of
any great profundity nor necessarily readily
distinguishable from many another album in
this idiom, but it passes the time very pleasantly
and there’s no doubting the musicianship of
those involved.
Glyn Pursglove
CD Reviews
BOMBA BM003 [47:51]
