Before the latin tinge was identified in New Orleans around the 19th century Cuban music had already begun to influence early Jazz, due in small part to touring musicians that would come through and those who would migrate seeking opportunity. The Kongo Tango and African pentatonic melodies that came with them are still evident in the music brave and refreshingly audacious young musicians like Alfredo Rodriguez. His first stateside release shows us that the most essential element for creating syncopation is silence, for without it there is no anticipation. Out of the deafening void on the Island comes a fresh new music as the Quincy Jones protégé casts forth his new release entitled “Sounds of Spaces” a menagerie of songs each a case study in the artistic process. It features Francisco Mela and Michael Olivera on Drums, Gaston Joya and Peter Slavov Bass, Ernesto Vega Soprano saxophone among many others.
Qbafrica, a tribute to Quincy opens the set on a joyous note and proving that Alfredo’s horizons are much broader than that of his contemporaries. His tender treatment on the melody for Sueno de Paseo shows that he has learned the lessons of Jarret’s Koln Concert very well as he tends to focus on every subtle nuance of the melody and repects the space and character of the bolero. Most of the tracks are in two trio settings of varying personnel, yet they are all equally at home. The Moody Fog rolls in unexpectedly and if it is any indication of things to come we should expect to hear a lot more from a young pianist already a mature seasoned pro with an artistic sensibility that far exceeds his peers. Alfredo Rodriguez can burn with the best of the young lions and shows the delivery, restraint and craft of a master.
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For More Information Visit:
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http://www.alfredomusic.com
