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Manuel Valera New Cuban Express Big Band: Distancia

By Angelo Leonardi
March 22, 2023
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Manuel Valera New Cuban Express Big Band: Distancia

L'evoluzione espressiva del cosiddetto latin jazz �� ormai palpabile, sia nelle opere dei solisti che dei bandleader. La schiera dei musicisti centro e sud-americani che abbracciano la complessit�� del jazz contemporaneo senza dimenticare la ricchezza ritmica e timbrica delle musiche latine, �� consistente in strumentisti come

Fabian Almazan

piano
b.1984

" data-original-title="" title="">Fabian Almazan,

Alfredo Rodriguez

piano
b.1985

" data-original-title="" title="">Alfredo Rodriguez,

Vitor Gonçalves

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Vitor Gon?alves,

Edward Simon

piano
b.1969

" data-original-title="" title="">Edward Simon,

Dayramir Gonzalez

piano
b.1983

" data-original-title="" title="">Dayramir Gonzalez che in arrangiatori come

Guillermo Klein

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Guillermo Klein,

Dafnis Prieto

drums
b.1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Dafnis Prieto e , appunto,

Manuel Valera

piano
b.1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Manuel Valera.

Da non confondere con l'omonimo sassofonista cubano (di cui �� figlio), Manuel vive da quasi tre decenni negli Stati Uniti imponendosi come uno dei pianisti e degli arrangiatori di rilievo in collaborazioni con

Paquito D'Rivera

clarinet
b.1948

" data-original-title="" title="">Paquito D'Rivera,

Arturo Sandoval

trumpet
b.1949

" data-original-title="" title="">Arturo Sandoval,

Brian Lynch

trumpet
b.1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Brian Lynch,

Jeff Tain Watts

drums
b.1960

" data-original-title="" title="">Jeff Tain Watts. Questo �� il suo quindicesimo disco da leader e il secondo con la "New Cuban Express Big Band," un organico ospitato regolarmente al Terraza 7, il locale del Queens di Freddy Castiblanco.
In modo pi�� accentuato rispetto a Jose Marti en Neuva York l'attuale Distancia si presenta come un sofisticato lavoro di sintesi tra i concetti del modern maistream jazzistico e la tradizione orchestrale latina. L'organico non ha visto consistenti modifiche e ritroviamo i suoi solisti di punta: i sassofonisti

Charles Pillow

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Charles Pillow,

Remy Le Boeuf

flute

" data-original-title="" title="">Remy Le Boeuf e

Andrew Gutauskas

saxophone, baritone

" data-original-title="" title="">Andrew Gutauskas, i trombettista

Alex Norris

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Alex Norris e

Michael Rodriguez

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Michael Rodriguez, il trombonista

Mike Fahie

trombone
b.1976

" data-original-title="" title="">Mike Fahie e lo stesso

Manuel Valera

piano
b.1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Manuel Valera al pianoforte. La cantante

Camila Meza

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Camila Meza �� usata ora in un ruolo esclusivamente strumentale (e come lei

Bogna Kicinska

vocals
b.1984

" data-original-title="" title="">Bogna Kicinska).

Oltre le etichette di genere Distancia �� tra i migliori dischi orchestrali dell'anno: tensione ritmica e variopinte dinamiche orchestrali s'intrecciano in serrati giochi di sezione e luminose aperture ai solisti. Le composizioni e gli arrangiamenti sono tutti di Manuel Valera ed �� arduo segnalare i momenti migliori.
Tra le cose che restano impresse ci sono l'originale sviluppo di "Gemini" con la tromba davisiana di

Stuart Mack

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Stuart Mack che precede il baritono di Gutauskas; le sofisticate tessiture in "Distancia" e "Impressionistic Romance"; il funky latin groove di "Remembered," che avvolge gli espressivi interventi di

Alex Goodman

guitar
b.1987

" data-original-title="" title="">Alex Goodman,

Andy Clausen

trombone
b.1992

" data-original-title="" title="">Andy Clausen e

David Smith

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">David Smith.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Expectativas; Gemini; From Afar; Pathways; From The Ashes; Impressionistic Romance; Distancia; Remembered.

Personnel

Manuel Valera

piano

Additional Instrumentation

Brian Pareschi (lead), Michael Rodriguez (3, 5, 6, 8), Stuart Mack (on all except 5 & 8), David Smith, Alex Norris (on all except 3 & 6): trumpets; Michael Thomas, alto sax, soprano sax & flute; Roman Filiu, alto sax & flute (3, 5, 6, 8); Remy Le Boeuf, alto sax & flute (1, 2, 4, 7); Joel Frahm, tenor saxophone (3, 5, 6, 8); Jeremy Powell, tenor saxophone, clarinet (1, 2, 4, 7); Andrew Gutauskas, baritone saxophone & bass clarinet; Matt Macdonald (lead), John Yao (3, 5, 6, 8), Mike Fahie (1, 2, 4, 7), Andy Clausen (3, 5, 6, 8), Sam Blakeslee (1, 2, 4, 7): trombones; Jeff Nelson: bass trombone; Alex Goodman: guitar; Ricky Rodriguez: bass (3, 5, 6, 8); Hamish Smith: bass (1, 2, 4, 7); Jimmy Macbride: drums; Samuel Torres: percussion. Camila Meza: voice (3, 4); Bogna Kici��ska: voice (7).

Album information

Title: Distancia | Year Released: 2022 | Record Label: Greenleaf Music

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