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David Virelles: Nuna
ByAs a pianist/composer, Virelles shares much with his countryman Aruán Ortiz. Both are classically trained pianists, natives of Santiago de Cuba who emigrated to New York. Though both have an affinity for progressive jazz and genre-blending, their sounds differ. In the semi-isolated setting of Nuna, Virelles brings a clandestine quality to his music. He opens the sixteen-track collection playing the marimbula on "Spacetime." The instrument is native to the Caribbean and in Cuba it is often used in changüí. It is essentially a giant version of the thumb piano keys mounted on a cajon-type box. The clipped bass notes set the unusual tone for the album.
Moods and styles vary throughout the set of compact compositions. "Cuando Canta El Cornetln" could be drifting out of a small Havana social club like a dance between Creole variegation and the Harlem Renaissance. Virelles is joined by multi-percussionist Julio Barreto, a colleague of Gonzalo Rubalcaba in the 1990s. A fellow Cuban artist, he appears in "Ghost Town," "Ignacio Villa," and "Portico," adding fluctuating energy to the latter two pieces.
Like a painter, Virelles gives us contrast and does so in liquid motions that carry our ears along seamlessly. His influences encompass the classics, great Cuban composers, and avant-garde experimentalism. The music on Nuna doesn't flag any particular inspiration nor does it try hard to impress. But impress it does.
Track Listing
Spacetime; Ocho; Ghost Town; Rezo; A Tres Voces; Nacen; Al Compas De Mi Viejo Tres; Simple Answer; Ignacio Villa; Danza De Rosario; Mambo Escalonado; Tessellations; Cuando Canta El Cornetln; Portico; Germania; Casa.
Personnel
David Virelles
pianoJulio Barreto
percussionAdditional Instrumentation
David Virelles: marimbula; Julio Barreto: cajon, guataca, conga, claves (3, 9, 14).
Album information
Title: Nuna | Year Released: 2022 | Record Label: Pi Recordings
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