Pianist Elio Villafranca first got my attention about 10 years ago with an exciting album of Afro Cuban duets. This time around he brings on a brimming to the top band of Vincent Herring/as-fl-cl, Freddie Hendrix/tp, Dayna Stephens/ts-bcl, Jonathan Kreisberg/g, Domo Branch/dr, Edward Perez/b and an Afro Cuban percussion team of Jonathan Troncoso, Mauricio Herrera Tamayo and Jason Olain for a staggeringly exciting and supercharged collection of originals in mix and match format.
Upping the ante are guest vocalists by Cecile McLorin Salvant on a tender and fragile “I Belong To You” and Mar Vilaseca oozing sensuality on a Blue Notey title piece. The album is filled with exciting seques within segues, changing moods like a Latin Lover, with the leader going from a soft trickle on “San Isidro” to an earthy and dramatic climax with earthy horns leading the charge. Kreisberg’s guitar is clear veering through the fragrant horns on “No Man’s Land” and cruises around the woodwind on the muscular “Panal de Abejas”. At times, Villafranca evokes sonic images of Herbie Hancock’s touch circa “Speak Like a Child” with the addition of tribal percussion on “Yo Soy Lori Oba’” and “Picture Window”, and the rhythmic support percolates throughout like sizzling fried rice as on the volcanic “HBC” featuring Stephens’ molten tenor sax. An excellent mix of flavorful spices over musical red meat.
Elio is performing music from this torrid album Friday, April 26 at New York’s City College Center for the Performing Arts. It promises to be a torrid evening. For more info, go to:
https://citycollegecenterforthearts.org/event/crossroads-cuba-to-ny/