Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Aruán Ortiz: Cub(an)ism

25

Aruán Ortiz: Cub(an)ism

Aruán Ortiz: Cub(an)ism
Hidden Voices (Intakt Records, 2016) brought Cuban born pianist and composer Aruán Ortiz some long-overdue recognition in the U.S. Cub(an)ism, Ortiz' tenth release, is a solo piano outing and his first such recording in the stand-alone format. Recorded in 2016 in Zürich, Switzerland, the album continues Ortiz' exploration of Cuban Cubism, his method of incorporating cubist principles of faceting and multiple perspectives with folkloric elements.

Cub(an)ism consists of ten original Ortiz compositions that blend Afro Cuban and Afro Haitian tradition with the influences of Spain, France, and the U.S., all locations in which Ortiz has lived. The allusion to cubism is not a generalized throw-away phrase, but very much part of Ortiz' creative process that can be heard and visualized in these pieces. The marriage of visual and musical composition has long been an element in Ortiz' thinking and one can hear this influence in most clearly in the solo setting.

The percussive, avant-garde opener, "Louverture Op. 1 (Château de Joux)," integrates at least three distinct themes amidst vacillating tempos and more than a hint of classical inspiration. "Cuban Cubism" is the embodiment of Ortiz' approach; a minimalist approach builds slowly then pulls back briefly. Over the course of almost eleven minutes, the piece flashes through varying backdrops, miniature melodies and abstractions. The native influences of rumba and yambu can be experienced on "Monochrome (Yubá)" as Ortiz plucks strings, accompanying himself through wavering rhythms.

Ortiz displays remarkable virtuosity across the variety of musical and non-musical disciplines that come into play on Cub(an)ism. He employs Indian mathematics as the framework of "Sacred Chronology," simple-to-complex repetitions on "Dominant Force" and quite lyricism with "Intervals (Closer to the Edge)." The meditative and unadorned "Coralaia" closes the album, with the reverence of sacred music. Ortiz in the solo setting is exceptionally intriguing and for all the theory and extended technique in play, the music is superbly listenable and refreshingly original.

Track Listing

Louverture Op. 1 (Château de Joux); Yambú; Cuban Cubism; Passages; Monochrome (Yubá); Density (Golden Circle); Dominant Force; Intervals (Closer to the Edge); Sacred Chronology; Coralaia.

Personnel

Aruán Ortiz: piano.

Album information

Title: Cub(an)ism | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Intakt Records

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.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

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.