Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Omar Sosa: Sentir

Omar Sosa: Sentir

By Glenn Astarita
March 1, 2002
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Cuban composer/pianist, Omar Sosa’s brand of world-jazz is prominently conveyed throughout this release - featuring, Moroccan vocalist, El Houssaine, Venezuelan percussionist, Gustavo Ovalles, and others. Sosa and co. also multitask while performing on indigenous percussion and stringed instruments emanating from Cuba, and North Africa amid conventional Western fare. Nevertheless, this is a true world music venture, augmented by Sosa’s delicately rendered chord progressions and jazzy right hand leads. The pianist’s musical concepts and methodologies include his associates’ soft vocals, Rap, and poetic narratives atop bustling rhythms and choral chants. And no matter how you view it, Sosa is a true merchant of joy via his flowing statements and warmly enacted arrangements. However, a few of these pieces suffer from being somewhat unwavering in scope and execution.

Sosa doesn’t present anything that could be deemed risqué or overtly novel on this outing, yet part of the magic lies within his heartfelt approach and jubilant spirit. Here, the artist propagates the heartbeat of the global community via a series of multifarious rhythmic structures and affable melodies - despite a few minor lulls in the program.

Melodia

Track Listing

Opening for Eleggu

Personnel

Omar Sosa

piano

Omar Sosa: piano, marimba, percussion, guiro, bell, backing vocals, claps, ashtray, mallets inside piano, Yoruba prayer; Gustavo Ovalles: bata drums, quitplas, culo e'puya, cumacos, tambor de parranda, maracas, guiro, bongos, claps, vocals, cajon de rumba; Martha Galarraga: vocals, clave; El Houssaine Kili: guembri, qarqabas, tan-tan, Gnawa vocals; "Shariff" Moulay M'Hamed Enneji Fakihan: guembri, darbukkah, mandolina, qarqabas, Gnawa vocals; John Santos: bata drums, djembe, clave, cata, backing vocals; Yassir Chadly: guembri, Gnawa vocals, claps; Bouchaib Abdelhadi: oud, claps, qarqabas, Moroccan violin, vocals, taarija; "Sub-Z" Terence Nicholson: rap poetry, claps; Randy Rood: didgeridoo; Justo Soler: backing vocals.

Album information

Title: Sentir | Year Released: 2002 | Record Label: Ota Records

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