In his review of Omar's sold-out show at the Blue Note in New York on June 24, Ben Ratliff of The New York Times, under the headline “Votive Candles and Wild Riffs", writes: “The Cuban-born pianist Omar Sosa has a nearly feral sense of showmanship: at the Blue Note on Monday night, performing for the first time in New York, he came to flatten the crowd, and he did. By far the greatest joys of the evening came in rhythmic vamps and breakdowns, when Brutha Los free-styled a rap about riding with Jesus in a Cadillac or when Ms. Galarraga intoned Yoruba chants and the band just worked out. But Mr. Sosa also furnished meticulously arranged parts to open and close his tunes. He played an astonishing piano solo, drenched in floridly classical, superanimated Cuban piano technique. He even plunged into astringent free improvisation with bass and drums, in the Cecil Taylor mode. But the set held together, and proved Mr. Sosa's charismatic, large-canvas imagination" (June 28, 2002). For the complete New York Times review, please visit http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/28/arts/music/28SOSA.html.
Omar Sosa's concert schedule for July and August includes the following shows:
July 6 Bagnols Blues, Bagnol-sur-Ceze, France (Trio with Martha Galarraga and Gustavo Ovalles)
July 7 Park Jazz, Kortrijk, Belgium (Quintet)
July 15 Messina (Sicily), Italy (Octet)
July 16 Marsala (Sicily), Italy (Octet)
July 19 Tondefestas, Tondela, Portugal (Septet)
July 22 Blue Note Tokyo, Japan (Octet)
July 23 Blue Note Tokyo, Japan (Octet)
July 24 Blue Note Tokyo, Japan (Octet)
July 25 Motion Blue, Yokohama, Japan (Duo with Gustavo Ovalles)
July 27 Les Nuits des Suds, Vence, France (Octet)
July 30 Angers l'Ete, Angers, France (Octet)
July 31 Festival de Jazz, Aix-en-Provence, France (Octet)
August 3 Jazz a Vannes, Vannes, France (Octet)
August 4 Jazz in Marciac, Marciac, France (Octet)
August 5 Fiesta Latina, Sete, France (Octet)
August 6 Fitou (near Perpignan), France (Duo with Gustavo Ovalles)
For more information contact All About Jazz.
