Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Chucho Valdes: New Conceptions

173

Chucho Valdes: New Conceptions

By

View read count
Chucho Valdes: New Conceptions
Half in jest, perhaps, Chucho Valdes calls the music he's developing "Cubanglish," a synthesis of Afro-Cuban and American jazz sounds that is unparalleled. On New Conceptions, the sixty year old pianist works with his quartet plus some well-chosen guest artists, in a break from his big band, Irakere; and what you get here is a purer pared-down example of Chucho Valdes' genius.

Valdes combines a technical mastery of his instrument with an exuberant vision as clear as any. He's a keyboardist who can send a bursting bird flock glissando soaring with his right hand while his ground bound left hand nails a percussive beat. incorporating the results into a logically seamless arrangement. He's soloist who can churn along a hair's breadth away from a deconstruction of a melody, without – in breath-taking fashion – doing so. He's a joyous purveyor of a percussive approach without eschewing delicacy or finesse.

New Conceptions opens with "La Camparsa," Valdes pounding out a left handed rhythm figure behind a tart right hand melody, riding over the ever-bubbling percussion. The song closes with a flute solo by Jacinto Joaquin Olivero Galivan that puts a cool sweet frosting on the spicy composition. Valdes's incorporation of his guests on New Conceptions is a big plus: Maylin Sevila Brizuela's too-brief and achingly beautiful cello interlude on the dreamy, Bill Evans-like "Nanu"; Irving Luichel Acao Tierra's fiery tenor sax on Miles Davis's "Solar" – a song that, fifty years after Davis recorded it, still sounds edgy and forward-looking.

Back and forth between the Afro-Cuban and American jazz books, the disc closes with a homage to the Duke, "Homenaje A Ellington," which opens with a jaunty, Latinized "Satin Doll" and changes into a dark, churning "Caravan."

But the essence of the sound of New Conceptions is Chucho Valdes' unrestrained and joyous piano work against Yaroldy Abreu Robless Cuban percussion, a pairing that acts as a foundation for the entire set. There are cautions and hesitations – internal and external – against calling a new music offering a masterpiece or an instant classic. The test of time is required to be sure, but New Conceptions, I think, fits into that category. A sure early top ten disc.

Visit Blue Note Records at www.bluenote.com

Track Listing

La Comparsa, You Don't Know What Love Is, Los Guiros, Nanu, Solar, Sin Clave Pero Con Swing, Homenaje A Ellington

Personnel

Chucho Valdes--piano; Yaroldy Abrue Robles--congero, drums, shekere; Lazaro Rivero Alcaron-- bass; Ramses Rodriquez Baralt--trap drums. guests: Maylin Sevila Brizuela--cello; Jacinto JoaquinOlviero Gavilan--flute; Ramon Filin O'Reilly--alto saxophone; Irving Luichel Acao Tierra-- tenor saxophone

Album information

Title: New Conceptions | Year Released: 2003 | Record Label: Blue Note Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT



Chucho Valdes Concerts


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

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

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.