Eloquent and elegant virtuosity on the Afro-Cuban side of life is delivered by legendary pianist Chucho Valdes and his team of Yelsy Heredia/b, dreiser Durrothy Bombale/bata-voc and Yaroldy Abreu Robles/perc.
Valdes takes you on a wondrous journey with his fingers with a mix of flair and drama with traditional voices by Bombale’ team up with deep pulsations on a modal “Obatala” with Bombales’ percolating bata creates gentle ripples with Heredia on the sensuous “Son XXI.” A modal “El Guije” mixes earthy voices with modern harmonies and directions. With the addition of Regina Carter’s violin, theres a mix of cheer and village moods on “Ochun” with a lovely lilt for “100 Anos de Bebo.” Valdes’ touch is warm, authoritive and always rhapsodically searching for new lands, whether comingled with the rhythm section or as on the solo piece “The Clown” creating his own deep rivulet with his rich fingers and taking you to exotic trails. A real gem from a maestro.