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Omar Sosa: An East African Journey
by Dan Bilawsky
Back in 2009, Omar Sosa took part in an eight-stop trio tour of East Africa. Serving multiple purposes, it gave the pianist a chance to work with Senegalese singer Mola Sylla and Mozambican bassist Childo Tomas while connecting with the people, operated as the subject for a French-funded documentary and provided an opportunity for cross-cultural collaborations to blossom in the field. Every time Sosa touched down in a new spot his hosts with Alliance Française helped him connect with local ...
read moreOmar Sosa & Yilian Cañizares: Aguas
by Matt Hooke
Omar Sosa is an artist whose music is always in flux. With each new album, Sosa presents new aspects of himself and brings in new collaborators to expand his Afro-Cuban-rooted music. Aguas is no exception to this, as it sees Sosa moving in an opposite direction from his explorations in 2017's fantastic Transparent Water, which, at its core, is a roots music record, with Sosa, and Senegalese Kora virtuoso Seckou Keita, blending Afro-Cuban tradition with the West African. Aguas a ...
read moreOmar Sosa: Es:sensual
by Dan Bilawsky
Cuban-born pianist Omar Sosa's music, be it presented in solo performances or conjured by a small-or medium-sized group, has always drawn on confidential mysticism. But that's not to say that his work doesn't lend itself to large-scale interpretation. With Ceremony (Otá Records, 2010) Sosa came out of the candlelit realms and shadows, bringing his music into full light by teaming up with Brazilian cellist-arranger Jaques Morelenbaum and Germany's NDR Big Band to stretch his worldly designs onto larger canvases. Now, ...
read morePaolo Fresu & Omar Sosa featuring Natacha Atlas & Jaques Morelenbaum: Eros
by Dan Bilawsky
While the connection between Cuban pianist Omar Sosa and Italian trumpeter Paolo Fresu was established back in 2006, their partnership truly blossomed with Alma (Ota Music, 2012), a beauty of an album with a soft sell approach. That record--quite possibly the most moving item in either man's discography--prioritized heart over all else, and this follow-up date follows suit. Eros--the god of love--serves as muse and sculptor on this easygoing outing. Sosa and Fresu are both in fine ...
read moreJoo Kraus/Omar Sosa/Gustavo Ovalles: JOG
by Dan Bilawsky
You have to hand it to pianist Omar Sosa. With the exception of some return trips to the solo piano format, he never really repeats himself. Over the past two decades, Sosa has worked alone, gone the duo route with Italian trumpeter Paolo Fresu, shared billing/leadership duties with flutist Mark Weinstein, worked with Germany's NDR Bigband, paid tribute to Miles Davis' iconic Kind Of Blue (Columbia Records, 1959) in unique fashion, mingled with Moroccan musicians, worked the Afro-Cuban seam in ...
read moreOmar Sosa Quarteto AfroCubano: ilé
by Dan Bilawsky
"The word ilé, from the Lucumí tradition of Cuba, means home, earth." That single sentence, which gets the ball rolling for Omar Sosa's self-penned liner notes, says all that needs to be said about this return-to-roots project. Or does it? Ilé finds Sosa looking back to Camagüey, Cuba. He populates this album with musicians who hail from said locale--drummer Ernesto Simpson, multi-reedist Leandro Saint-Hill, and guests like Eladio “Don Pancho" Terry and Yosvany Terry--but listeners shouldn't be ...
read moreOmar Sosa: Senses
by Dan Bilawsky
Pianist Omar Sosa seems to have a split personality: He's the extroverted dazzler who exudes vivacity and leads the charge, but he's also the introverted-and-contemplative pianist who muses and meditates with fingers on keys. Much of his work allows for both aspects of his artistry to shine; Senses does not. This one is all about the thoughtful and sensitive Sosa baring his soul. Senses is essentially a (by)product of the pianist's time spent at the Experimental Media ...
read morePaolo Fresu Devil Quartet: Desertico
by Dan Bilawsky
Italian trumpeter Paolo Fresu has always been more angel than devil, though he's fronted quartets that name check both of those respectively heavenly and hellish entities. His horn work is coolly lyrical and spellbinding, regardless of the setting it's found in, but Fresu also has an impish side to his personality that takes over at certain times; he taps into that deviousness in a few places on Desertico, but the majority of the music is gorgeous, reflective and peaceful.
read moreOmar Sosa: Eggun
by Dan Bilawsky
A tribute to trumpet legend Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue (Columbia, 1959), without a single song from the record? The answer: an emphatic “Yes!" In 2009, piano wizard Omar Sosa received a commission from the Barcelona Jazz Festival to “compose and produce a tribute performance to Miles Davis' classic recording, Kind Of Blue, on the occasion of its 50th anniversary." The keyword there is “tribute"; not “facsimile" or “rewrite." Even if they had asked Sosa for such a thing, they ...
read moreOmar Sosa & Paolo Fresu featuring Jaques Morelenbaum: Alma
by Dan Bilawsky
Trying to keep pace with the musical projects of pianist Omar Sosa or trumpeter Paolo Fresu is an almost-athletic pursuit. Calling either man prolific is an understatement, but what's more impressive than the quantity of music they release is the quality of their output. Both have tapped into an eternal wellspring of creativity that eludes most artists, with an ability to conjure the spirits of sound at will. Their first encounter dates back to 2006, when Sosa ...
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