Bassist Matt Geraghty’s idea on this 2 disc set is to travel to various locals in Cuba, meet with musicians and begin musical conversations. As he states in his liner notes, “The Only Two Rules: Don’t talk and just play.” The NYC bassist teams up with a panalpy of local artists during 21 days in Cuba, the settings ranging from outdoor venues, private homes, a garage, studios and even on the street.
The amazing thing here is how the mix of spontaneity doesn’t take away from any lyricism, melody or coherence. A project like this in the US with “free jazz” improvisers would probably result in cacophony, but the exciting rhythms.
There is a festive joy on pieces such as “Port of Hope” and “Caribbean Roots” which are wonderful celebrations of rhythm, while “Breaking Barriers” and “Cactus Flower” include some rich sax solos that are flowing, exciting and spontaneous. Some of the pieces have the feel of being spliced from a long jam session, but the energy emitted is palpable. If only this album had scents from the street market!