Fabian Almazan: Personalities

Fabian Almazan began creating some buzz with his sparkling piano chops in trumpeter Terence Blanchard's group on Choices (Concord Music Group, 2009). Originally from Havana, Cuba, Almazan is not only one of the young rising stars in New York, but is also classically trained and has received a number of awards as a composer in film, chamber and orchestral projects.

Many of these disciplines come into play on this auspicious debut, which includes Almazan's equally convincing trio with bassist Linda May Han Oh and drummer Henry Cole, and a string quartet on two tracks. This is evident in Alamzan's emotive interpretation of Dmitri Shostakovich's "String Quartet No.10 Opus 118." While maintaining the austere beauty of the Russian composer's work, the music is enhanced with electronic colorations—splices of noise and sound effects that build to a breaking point at midpoint, right before the string quartet quietly resumes the theme.

If Shostakovich's third movement speaks of Almazan's interpretative daring then "The Vicarious Life" shouts his virtuosity as the trio works through the track's dizzying cadence. Almazan plays like a man possessed, at times flamboyantly, yet with masterful control, while his equally competent trio mates have their own bright moments such as Cole's intro on "H.U.Gs (Historically Under-Represented Groups)" and Oh's punchy solo in "Russian Love Story."

But there's more to Almazan's repertoire than just highbrow composition and swinging solos. There's a reverential tone in "Grandmother Song" that is tender yet powerful and tunes such as "Bola de Nieve" (by singer/songwriter Carlos Varela) and "Tres Lindas Cubanas" (textured with the sampling of a scratchy LP) cast shadows of Almazan's memories of Cuba. Personalities is a portrait of the people and sounds that have influenced Almazan, who like these ten compositions are multifaceted and intriguing.