Home » Jazz Articles » Live Review » Calixto Oviedo: New York, NY. July 9, 2013

3

Calixto Oviedo: New York, NY. July 9, 2013

Calixto Oviedo, "Calixto's Way"
New Dimensions of Latin Jazz: Cuban Drum Series
Jazz Standard
New York, NY

July 9, 2013

Master drummer Calixto Oviedo's quintet—pianist Carlos Averhoff, Jr., electric bassist Nestor Del Prado, percussionist Mauricio Herrera and tenor saxophonist Gustavo Ramirez—set off its early set at New York's Jazz Standard with a contemporary, American jazz-influenced groove that moved, half-way, into Afro-Cuban territory, allowing for Averhoff, Jr. and Ramirez to explore the melody with free improvisation. A very syncopated piece followed, concentrating on an intro mostly revolving around electric bass and saxophone that had a strong northeastern Brazilian influence, which allowed both the bandleader and Herrera to stretch and add interesting accents between the beats.

After a brief introduction, the combo carried on with a slower, rumba-based groove that mostly showcased Averhoff, Jr. and the talents of both Oviedo and Herrera. The tune also featured an accomplished bass solo played against Oviedo's beat. The group then followed with a very up-tempo Afro-Cuban theme that led to a flurry of notes from Ramirez—the speed sounded very technically challenging, but in these musicians hands it just seemed to flow effortlessly. It was a high-energy tune, but the group just sounded more and more energetic as it progressed, climaxing with a drum and percussion duet.

The musicians walked off the stage and, after the audience chanted "mas una" (one more), Oviedo returned to the stage and began a samba groove on his own. The remaining members joined him one by one, and went into a tune that seemed inspired by the work of contemporary Brazilian composer Egberto Gismonti, filled with complicated notes among a captivating, shoe-tapping beat. After the set, he admitted that he was looking for a "Brazilian feel" on that last one.

Calixto Oviedo is a gifted musician who keeps an open ear for different sounds. Though his native country's beats are very present in his music, he has various influences that are not limited by the Caribbean island, resulting in a very enjoyable musical experience.

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

Near

New York City Concerts

More

Jazz article: Bark Culture At Solar Myth
Jazz article: Hingetown Jazz Festival 2025
Jazz article: Hayley Kavanagh Quartet At Scott's Jazz Club

Popular

Read Take Five with Pianist Irving Flores
Read Jazz em Agosto 2025
Read Bob Schlesinger at Dazzle
Read SFJAZZ Spring Concerts
Read Sunday Best: A Netflix Documentary
Read Vivian Buczek at Ladies' Jazz Festival

Get more of a good thing!

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

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.