Jazz Articles about Aruán Ortiz

About Aruán Ortiz

Album Review

James Brandon Lewis Quartet: Omni

Read "Omni" reviewed by Kevin Poindexter

by Kevin Poindexter
June 26, 2026

James Brandon Lewis is on a remarkable run. Deface the Currency (Impulse!, 2026), his second collaborative album with the Messthetics, placed him at the cutting edge of the fiery fusion of punk and jazz. While that record proved he could invoke the power and fury of 60s Detroit band MC5's rock-and-roll testimonial Are You Ready to TESTIFY! (Sanctuary Records, 2007), on Omni, he is invoking a different kind of testimonial, one grounded in his upbringing as the son of a ...

Album Review

Aruán Ortiz: Créole Renaissance

Read "Créole Renaissance" reviewed by Neri Pollastri

by Neri Pollastri
December 29, 2025

L'avevamo sentito recentemente dal vivo in vari contesti, dal duo con Don Byron al Pinocchio di Firenze fino al quartetto con James Brandon Lewis al Jazz&Wine of Peace 2025 (dove non a caso era stato il vero protagonista), ma l'occasione in cui ci aveva maggiormente colpiti era stato in solitudine, ancora al Pinocchio Jazz, nel marzo del 2025. Ed eccolo qui, il raffinatissimo pianista cubano Aruan Ortiz di nuovo in solo nella sua ultima registrazione, nella quale esplora e reinterpreta ...

Radio & Podcasts

Aruán Ortiz: Négritude in the 21st Century

by David Bixler
October 26, 2025

Créole Renaissance is the latest offering from pianist Aruán Ortiz on Intakt Records. This solo piano record draws its inspiration from the Négritude movement that originated in Paris in the early part of the 20th century that was established to counteract the anti-colonialism attitudes that many black artists in Paris faced as they worked in their various disciplines. In this episode of LINER NOTES, Aruán describes the inspiration that he was able to draw from this movement and reflects on ...

Album Review

Aruán Ortiz: Créole Renaissance

Read "Créole Renaissance" reviewed by Jack Kenny

by Jack Kenny
August 28, 2025

Cuban Cubism is central to Aruán Ortiz's musical identity--but in this album, his vision extends far beyond. While the 1930s Negritude movement was a literary endeavor, Ortiz seeks to embody that movement not through words but through music. His compositions channel their spirit with abstraction, tension, and a deep sense of diasporic reflection. Ortiz, born in Santiago de Cuba--the island's second-largest city--is shaped by its distinctive sonic culture. His influences stretch widely, encompassing American and European 20th-century composers ...

Album Review

James Brandon Lewis Quartet with Aruán Ortiz, Brad Jones and Chad Taylor: Abstraction Is Deliverance

Read "Abstraction Is Deliverance" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
May 26, 2025

John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and David S. Ware cast long shadows over Abstraction Is Deliverance, the fifth release from the James Brandon Lewis Quartet. These tenor saxophone titans have influenced Lewis since his breakout major-label debut Divine Travels (Okeh, 2014). Yet while their legacy is acknowledged, it never overshadows the bold, present-tense expression of Lewis's own voice. He does not merely walk in their footsteps--he charts new terrain using the foundation they helped lay. Lewis is a rare ...

Album Review

Barbara Bruckmüller Jazz Orchestra, feat. Aruán Ortiz: A Chain of Moments

Read "A Chain of Moments" reviewed by Artur Moral

by Artur Moral
May 1, 2025

Julio Cortázar's Rayuela (1963), Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves (2000) and Chris Ware's Building Stories (2012) are novels--both written and graphic--that stand out, not just for their literary merit, but also for the various ways readers can engage with them. A similar phenomenon occurs on the listening level with A Chain Of Moments: Suite in Five Movements, the ambitious project by Vienna-born pianist, composer and bandleader Barbara Bruckmüller. This was likely not her original intention when, years ...

Live Review

Aruan Ortiz al Pinocchio Jazz, Firenze

by Neri Pollastri
April 17, 2025

Aruán Ortiz Pinocchio Live Jazz Firenze 22 marzo 2025 Tra i non molti ospiti stranieri di un programma che anche quest'anno ha comunque regalato tantissimi momenti di grande musica, si è esibito sul palco del Pinocchio Live Jazz, per un recital in solitudine, il pianista cubano da anni residente a New York Aruán Ortiz. Per l'artista si trattava di un ritorno, avendo suonato tre anni fa nello stesso luogo in duo con il clarinettista e ...