Legendary pianist Chucho Valdes taps into his roots by giving a musical tribute to the famed 70s Latin fusion group Irakere on this show in Marciac. One of the , if not the first bands to mix popular jazz with Cuban grooves, Irakere is served here by Valdes and his band of Yaroldy Abreu Robles/perc, Rafael Aguila/as, Rodney Barreto/dr, Dreiser Durruthy Bombale/bat-voc, Ariel Bringuez/ts, Gaston Joya/b, Manue Machado/tp, Reinaldo Melian/tp and Carlos Sarduy/tp though an extravaganza of folk, traditional and fervent jazz.
You get so e folklore vocals with rich nasal delivery along with percussion, horns and Bringuez’s fervent tenor on “Juana 1600” while the visceral and complex meet in Valdes’ rich piano solo along with exotic percussion and Bringuez’s sax on “Congadanza.” A vibrant and lilting dance is delivered by the rhythm team as Valdez romances across the dance floor as his feat glide and Aguila’s alto sears through “Lorena’s Tango.” The band turns into a street festival as fervent trumpets, vocal choruses and percussion discussions take place on “Afro Funk” and the band rolls like a locomotive along with Joya’s gass on the vibrant “Afro-Comanche.” A mix of blues and slithering sensuality close the show with piano and vocals in earnest charm with “Yansa’,” making you shudder with horror at the thought of jazz never originating without, what Jelly Roll Morton termed, “The Latin Tinge.”
Jazz Village Records