Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Hugo Fernandez: Cosmogram

12

Hugo Fernandez: Cosmogram

By

Sign in to view read count
Hugo Fernandez: Cosmogram
Mexican-born Hugo Fernandez is a modern jazz guitarist who follows up his well-received debut album Origenes (CDbaby, 2012) with the new modern-styled Cosmogram featuring eight sophisticated original compositions in a generally warm-natured set of light and engaging modern jazz. A graduate of the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston, Fernandez decided to move to Madrid, Spain where he is now based where he draws from an international pool of musicians to perform with and record.

Fernandez, who shares an affinity for the seven-string acoustic guitar, and plays it quite well, delivers this project—with the exception of Cuban saxophonist Ariel Bringuez —featuring a new quartet that includes fellow countryman, drummer Antonio Sanchez and Spanish bassist Antonio Miguel resulting in a first-class rhythm section that hums.

The music kicks off on the spacious "Reconciliacion" where the guitarist leads the group in a moderate tempo piece that, though takes a while to develop, sets the stage for the rest of the repertoire. Saxophonist Bringuez comes out in a pronounced role as almost a co-leader on much of the music. Nevertheless, it's Fernandez's guitar voice that provides the majority of the solo space with one riff after another on piece after piece.

The saxophonist takes to the soprano on the following softer "Metro," and gentler "Sublime" while Fernandez seems to use the electric guitar here though, it's not clearly stated on the cover whether or not he does. Both bassist Miguel and drummer Sanchez take their turns in the spot light with brisk solo moments of their own on the intriguing "Sublime." The tune "Auras" definitely has some elements of the Middle-Eastern sound whether intended or not while "Un-Balanced" comes across a bit dark.

The closing "Bakio" and finale piece "Yap," each poses qualities that mark them squarely within the modern/futuristic camps in term of the sounds produced. Hugo Fernandez joins the many young modern-style guitar players that have emerged of late in the jazz world however, the music contained in Cosmogram should be more than sufficient to separate this excellent artist from the rest of the pack. Armed with creative compositions and a band of first-call musicians to interpret his provocative sound, Cosmogram is a serious recording deserving of attention.

Track Listing

Reconciliacion; Metro; Sublime; Grounds; Auras; Un-Balanced; Bakio; Yap.

Personnel

Hugo Fernandez: guitar; Ariel Bringuez: tenor, soprano sax; Antonio Miguel: bass; Antonio Sanchez: drums.

Album information

Title: Cosmogram | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: Origin Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.