Jazz Articles about Gonzalo Rubalcaba

Gonzalo Rubalcaba: Solo

by AAJ Italy Staff
April 20, 2006

Quest'ultima incisione in solitudine di Gonzalo Rubalcaba è complementare a quella precedente (Paseo), pervasa dai caldi, trascinanti colori del latin jazz. I due CD possono essere elevati a simbolo delle cifra stilistica del pianista cubano, oscillante da sempre tra un approccio adamantino allo strumento e la ricerca di una espressività muscolare ed astratta. Rispetto all'adesione distesa nei confronti della forma-canzone, è proprio l'incedere sghembo ed informale a lasciare il segno più incisivo nelle quindici tracce di quest'ultimo disco, interamente caratterizzato ...

Gonzalo Rubalcaba: Solo

by David Miller
March 11, 2006

In recent recordings, Gonzalo Rubalcaba has reined in his considerable chops to pursue a more introspective direction, and Solo is a natural step in this direction. As the title hints, the recording finds Rubalcaba alone at his piano, ruminating. In this setting the pianist is more introspective than ever, frequently using silence as his means of expression. The only problem is, it doesn't necessarily work. Rubalcaba has always worn his Afro-Cuban influences on his sleeves. This album ...

Gonzalo Rubalcaba: Solo

by Mark Corroto
March 6, 2006

The metamorphosis of Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba has taken a gifted player from a fiery caterwauler to a nimble, introspective musician. His early recordings were fueled by youthful enthusiasm and the encouragement of the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Haden and Jack DeJohnette. Like his musical compatriot, the French phenom Jackie Terrasson, he has talent on loan from the jazz gods.

Twenty years later and now in his early forties, Rubalcaba reveals a more introspective side, one he ...

Gonzalo Rubalcaba: Solo

by Jim Santella
March 4, 2006

This solo piano album from Gonzalo Rubalcaba finds the artist searching. With themes from Afro-Cuban culture running through his performance, he improvises soulfully and at his own pace. As one of the jazz world's most exciting pianists, he's able to sit down, take his time, and let the ideas flow gently. Each piece represents a passionate ordeal, both introspective and lush.

Rubalcaba keeps his program under the radar for the most part. Quiet lullabies, gentle boleros and soft-spoken ...

Gonzalo Rubalcaba: Paseo

by Eric J. Iannelli
December 5, 2004

Gonzalo Rubalcaba Paseo Blue Note 2004

Occasionally I like to take advantage of hindsight and see what appraisal I've given to an album long after the review has run and the disc has had time to remain or reappear (or neither) in my player. What I often find is that a disc I've assessed as “good," to eschew more loaded and potentially confusing adjectives, doesn't necessarily have the durability and enduring allure ...

Gonzalo Rubalcaba: Paseo

by Alex K. Fong
October 15, 2004

Paseo, the title of virtuoso Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba's first album as a leader in three years, means “walk" or “stroll" in English.

And that's what he does throughout the record with his New Cuban Quartet.

Rubalcaba examines his musical roots as if he were walking through his hometown for the first time in many years. He plays tunes that conjure up images of exuberant youths at local playgrounds, intense teenagers exposed to the newness of the streets, and adults ...

Gonzalo Rubalcaba: Paseo

by AAJ Staff
October 5, 2004

On Paseo, Gonzalo Rubalcaba's latest venture, the esteemed Cuban pianist plays electric keyboards on some tracks, and there's an electric bassist on every track. The skeptical listener might conclude that Rubalcaba has finally “sold out" and made a fusion record. There's hardly a backbeat on any part of Paseo. But it's certainly a form of fusion, uniting urgent modern jazz with the rhythms and melodies of Cuban folk forms. The result is something new, even audacious, and utterly refreshing.

Rubalcaba ...