Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Mario Grigorov: Paris to Cuba

425

Mario Grigorov: Paris to Cuba

Mario Grigorov: Paris to Cuba
Pianist/composer Mario Grigorov's Paris to Cuba conjures up a number of images before a single note has been heard. Both Paris and Cuba are culturally rich and have been major players in the development of jazz, but the two are often portrayed in very different ways: one, often celebrated as a dream destination, filled with beautiful people; the other relegated as a place people have risked their lives to escape; one regarded as a city full of high fashion donning, wine sipping, dog lovers; the other marred by poverty and communist rule.

With Paris to Cuba , Grigorov suggests that music will ultimately reveal its own truth even in the midst of preconception, expectation or scrutiny. So how does the journey from Paris to Cuba sound? With Grigorov at the helm and serving as the album's tour guide, it sounds beautiful.

The recording's 10 original tracks feel like a musical score for a summer vacation. Grigorov uses his background in film scoring to breathe life into his music, turning it into something that stimulates the imagination. Not quite jazz or classical, but a little more than world music, this album takes a little from each.

Standout tracks include "Cuban Sun, Cuban Soil"—which does, indeed, sound like a walk under the Cuban sun—with Grigorov performing on a Farfisa organ; "Before She Walked Away," a slow to mid-tempo tune which features Ben Butler and Jeff Hill's beautiful guitar work; and "I See," "Every Little Movement" and "Snake Eyes," a musical trifecta that spotlights Melissa Newman's sultry vocal accompaniment.

Although composed and written by Grigorov, every musician contributing on the recording adds something special to make the whole album work. It's a great opportunity to see into a composer's mind through his music—and the way Grigorov writes and performs on Paris to Cuba, it seems that he welcomes the company.

Track Listing

Cuban Sun, Cuban Soil; I See; Ice Hotel; Every Little Movement; Paris to Cuba; Magic Circus; Snake Eyes; Before She Walked Away; Ice Hotel (Piano Version); Three Dozen Roses.

Personnel

Mario Grigorov: Piano, Farfisa and Hammond B3 organs, Fender Rhodes piano, synths, accordion, vibes, drums and percussion; Peter Calo: guitar; Jeff Hill: bass and bass guitar; Jim Hynes: trumpet; Ben Butler: guitar; Francois Moutin: bass; Alfredo Hidrovo: percussion; Sam Newsome: soprano and tenor sax; Richard Boulger: trumpet; Jerry Krenach: drums and percussion; Jerome Harris: guitar and bass guitar; Marvin Sewell: guitar; Jonathan Dinklage: violin; Entcho Todorov: violin; Bill Chesley: lap steel guitar; Bill Dobrow: drums and percussion; Brother Robert: guitar; Melissa Newman: vocals.

Album information

Title: Paris to Cuba | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: Self Produced

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.