Jazz Articles about Omar Sosa

like 134

Omar Sosa: Ayaguna

by Joel Roberts
April 5, 2003

Omar Sosa is a fusion artist in the best sense of the word. The virtuosic pianist mixes his Cuban roots with tastes of bebop, free jazz, even hip-hop and electronica, into a strikingly fresh and spicy modern stew that's much more than the sum of its ingredients. Sosa's new duo album with Venezuelan percussionist Gustavo Ovalles was recorded before a live audience in Japan. Much of the energetic set sounds freely improvised, with Sosa moving from delicate, unabashedly romantic melodies ...

like 199

Omar Sosa: Sentir

by AAJ Staff
March 1, 2002

Whatever the title of Omar Sosa's new disc, the theme that runs throughout is Elegguá. For the uninitiated, Elegguá is the gatekeeper, the messenger, the courier, and the spirit of communication. He watches humanity for the Orishas (gods of Santeria), and he's the first to be received by initiates. During ritual musical ceremonies, believers forge a link with the Orishas.

In a sense, Sentir brings the listener into a intensely spiritual connection with Elleguá. Omar Sosa, a Cuban pianist, has ...

like 141

Omar Sosa: Sentir

by Glenn Astarita
March 1, 2002

Cuban composer/pianist, Omar Sosa’s brand of world-jazz is prominently conveyed throughout this release - featuring, Moroccan vocalist, El Houssaine, Venezuelan percussionist, Gustavo Ovalles, and others. Sosa and co. also multitask while performing on indigenous percussion and stringed instruments emanating from Cuba, and North Africa amid conventional Western fare. Nevertheless, this is a true world music venture, augmented by Sosa’s delicately rendered chord progressions and jazzy right hand leads. The pianist’s musical concepts and methodologies include his associates’ soft vocals, Rap, ...

like 184

Omar Sosa: Bembón

by AAJ Staff
May 1, 2001

Try to pin Omar Sosa down, and he'll wriggle away. The styles Sosa uses for composition encompass sounds from all over the Americas and Africa. The Cuban pianist relocated in 1995 to the San Francisco Bay area, where he recruited his working quintet. But in order to make Bembón, Sosa took his group on the road to Quito, Ecuador. Quito was not necessarily the best choice for music production, from the practical standpoint--but it offered total immersion in Ecuadoran culture. ...

like 176

Omar Sosa: Prietos

by AAJ Staff
April 1, 2001

Something of a high priest of African-American music, Cuban pianist Omar Sosa has a direct link to the spirits. He collects an international cadre of musicians to channel this higher energy into recorded form on Prietos. The result: a sprawling disc which explores idioms from West Africa, South America, Cuba, and the United States. While Sosa appears content to explore an idiom in its simplest and most direct form, he generally prefers to mix things up. You might hear a ...