Home » Jazz Articles » Manuel Valera

Jazz Articles about Manuel Valera

7
Album Review

Reggie Quinerly: The Thousandth Scholar

Read "The Thousandth Scholar" reviewed by Chris May


The Thousandth Scholar is Los Angeles-based drummer and composer Reggie Quinerly's fifth album, each out on his Redefinition label. Quinerly themes his albums. His debut was Music Inspired By Freedmantown (2012), a tribute to the Houston neighborhood where he was born and raised. It was followed by Invictus (2015), a salute to hard bop, Words In Love (2018), which dealt with vocals, and New York Nowhere (2021), a portrait of life in the city (Quinerly studied at the New School ...

7
Liner Notes

Brian Lynch: Con Clave Vol.2

Read "Brian Lynch: Con Clave Vol.2" reviewed by C. Andrew Hovan


The jazz musician's road to success and sustainability is a rocky one, marked with more than its share of ups and downs. Becoming the norm as of late, those with the strongest staying power have increased their flexibility by becoming more diverse in their efforts. The affect is thus twofold-providing an income to pay the rent, as well as honing a well-rounded perspective of the music. Of course, trumpeter and educator Brian Lynch began the journey down this path many ...

3
Album Review

Manuel Valera Quintet: Vessel

Read "Vessel" reviewed by Chris May


Cuban born and raised, pianist and composer Manuel Valera moved to the US in 1994, attending high school in Florida before moving to New York City in 2000 to study at the New School. His classmates included Robert Glasper, Mike Moreno, Michael Rodriguez, Marcus Strickland and E.J. Strickland. Fast company. Valera's career as a leader moved up a notch when his band New Cuban Express received a Grammy nomination in 2013 for Best Latin Jazz Album for ...

11
Album Review

Steve Smith and Vital Information: Time Flies

Read "Time Flies" reviewed by Scott Gudell


As with so many prolific drummers, this guy is lean, energized, crisp and knows when to add the snap. Drummer/percussionist Steve Smith's early professional musical explorations were often in the world of jazz as he teamed up with fusion violinist Jean Luc Ponty and the progressive jazz/rock Dutch band Focus for about a year in the late 1970s. He took a call in 1978 from a soon-to-be arena rock band out of San Francisco that went by the name of ...

Album Review

Manuel Valera New Cuban Express Big Band: Distancia

Read "Distancia" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


L'evoluzione espressiva del cosiddetto latin jazz è ormai palpabile, sia nelle opere dei solisti che dei bandleader. La schiera dei musicisti centro e sud-americani che abbracciano la complessità del jazz contemporaneo senza dimenticare la ricchezza ritmica e timbrica delle musiche latine, è consistente in strumentisti come Fabian Almazan, Alfredo Rodriguez, Vitor Goncalves, Edward Simon, Dayramir Gonzalez che in arrangiatori come Guillermo Klein, Dafnis Prieto e , appunto, Manuel Valera. Da non confondere con l'omonimo sassofonista cubano (di ...

2
Radio & Podcasts

Big Ears for Big Sounds

Read "Big Ears for Big Sounds" reviewed by David Brown


This week, I've had big ears for some big sounds. And now you can too. Playlist Thelonious Monk “Esistrophy (Theme)" from Live at the It Club-Complete (Columbia) 00:30 Stan Kenton “Prollouge" from Kenton's West Side Story (Capital Records) 02:00 Don Ellis Orchestra “Turkish Bath" from Electric Bath (Columbia) 06:05 Chick Web and his Orchestra “Heebie Jeebies" from Jammin' for the Jackpot: Big Bands and Territory Bands of the 30s (New World Records) 16:33 Yu Nishiyama “Honorary Whites" from ...

1
Radio & Podcasts

Releases From Manuel Valera, Lisa Hilton, Tord Gustavsen And Joel Frahm Plus More

Read "Releases From Manuel Valera, Lisa Hilton, Tord Gustavsen And Joel Frahm Plus More" reviewed by Bob Osborne


On this week's show newly recorded releases from Manuel Valera, Lisa Hilton, Tord Gustavsen and Joel Frahm. As well as those archive recordings, just released for the first time, from Barry Deister and Ian Carr, music from Enrico Rava (2005) and some classic live Soft Machine (1970), which has just been repackaged and rereleased. Playlist Show Intro 00:00 Manuel Valera New Cuban Express Big Band “Gemini" from Distancia (Greenleaf) 00:51 Lisa Hilton “Ernie's Blues" from Life is Beautiful ...


Engage

Contest Giveaways
Enter our latest contest giveaway sponsored by Calligram Records
Polls & Surveys
Vote for your favorite musicians and participate in our brief surveys.
Publisher's Desk
How To Follow Staff Writers
Read on...

Get more of a good thing!

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