Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Aruan Ortiz Trio with Eric Revis and Gerald Cleaver: Hidden Voices

Aruan Ortiz Trio with Eric Revis and Gerald Cleaver: Hidden Voices

By Karl Ackermann
January 26, 2016
View read count

Aruan Ortiz Trio with Eric Revis and Gerald Cleaver: Hidden Voices

Cuban born pianist and composer Aru��n Ortiz is just now starting to broaden his long-overdue recognition after two decades as a leader or collaborator. More than ten years prior to his new trio release, Hidden Voices, he had drawn favorable comparisons to

Chick Corea

piano
1941 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">Chick Corea and

Ornette Coleman

saxophone, alto
1930 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">Ornette Coleman with Aru��n Ortiz Trio Vol. 1 (Pimienta Records, 2004). That outing featured an entirely different group but clearly set the groundwork for Ortiz' unique approach to creating and executing forward-looking music.

Hidden Voices is Ortiz' ninth outing as a leader or co-leader including the brilliant Textures and Pulsations (Self-Produced, 2012) with fellow pianist and author

Bob Gluck

piano
b.1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Bob Gluck. Ortiz has had an active presence as a side man as well, appearing on more than twenty recordings including those of trumpeters

Steve Turre

trombone
b.1948

" data-original-title="" title="">Steve Turre,

Wallace Roney

trumpet
1960 - 2020

" data-original-title="" title="">Wallace Roney and bassist/vocalist

Esperanza Spalding

bass
b.1984

" data-original-title="" title="">Esperanza Spalding.

Manning the bass chair is Grammy winning composer

Eric Revis

bass
b.1967

" data-original-title="" title="">Eric Revis who has worked with a wildly diverse array of musicians including

Betty Carter

vocals
1929 - 1998

" data-original-title="" title="">Betty Carter, Peter Brotzmann and

Steve Coleman

saxophone, alto
b.1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Steve Coleman in addition to leading a trio with pianist

Orrin Evans

piano
b.1975

" data-original-title="" title="">Orrin Evans and

Nasheet Waits

drums
b.1971

" data-original-title="" title="">Nasheet Waits. Prolific and in high-demand, the drummer

Gerald Cleaver

drums
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Gerald Cleaver came into his own with the 2008 Farmers by Nature (AUM Fidelity) with

Craig Taborn

piano
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Craig Taborn and Wiliam Parker.

With the recent releases of a number of Cuban albums that have coincided with the easing of Cuban-US relations, fans of what

Jelly Roll Morton

piano
1890 - 1941

" data-original-title="" title="">Jelly Roll Morton referred to as the "Latin tinge" have had much to celebrate. However, Ortiz is not riding the wave of reinvented habanera, tango or danz��n dance music. From the opening "Fractal Sketches" it is clear that Ortiz is only brushing against Cuban convention, opting instead for an avant-garde approach, lunging arpeggios and angular phrasing.

Neither does Ortiz abandon tradition, as heard on "Caribbean Vortex/Hidden Voices" where he introduces two well-known Cuban percussionists, Arturo Stable and Enildo Rasua, playing claves and adding a familiar rhythmic quality. True to the tune's name, it seems to have the power to pull one into a mesmerizing swirl of sounds, bookended by the resonating percussion. "Skippy," a frenetic piece at times, is anchored by a fine solo from Revis countering Ortiz raining down torrents of notes. "Analytical Symmetry"—despite the austere title—works around open phrases, patiently building like a visceral force.

Whatever Cuban influences that find their way into Ortiz' music, his intention seems directed toward creating enough disorientation to avoid locking his compositions into any one category. With Cleaver and Revis we hear a masterful balance between melody, tension and free jazz. Whether in the absence of tonal centers or in following more rigid guidelines, Ortiz and company play with a pliability and enthusiasm that is completely contagious. Hidden Voices would be ground-breaking in any musical context but as we look to the Cuban influence on the future of music, it serves to remind that true innovators will emerge from the opening of these expanding markets as well.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Fractal Sketches; Open & Close/The Sphinx; Caribbean Vortex/Hidden Voices; Analytical Symmetry; Arabesques of a Geometrical Rose (Spring); Arabesques of a Geometrical Rose (Summer); 17 Moments of Liam's Moments; Joyful Noises; Skippy; Uno, Dos y Tres Que Paso Mas Chevere.

Personnel

Aru��n Ortiz

piano

Aruan Oritz: piano; Eric Revis: bass; Gerald Cleaver: drums.

Album information

Title: Hidden Voices | Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: Intakt Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Big John Patton: Along Came John - 1...
< Previous

The Victor Goines Quartet at South O...
Next >

Support All About Jazz

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.