GONZALO RUBALCABA — Images (aka Images : Live At Mt. Fuji) (review)

GONZALO RUBALCABA — Images (aka Images : Live At Mt. Fuji) album cover Live album · 1991 · Post Bop Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
snobb
Classically trained Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba toured Europe during the early 80s, and played at Montreux with Charlie Haden and Paul Motian in 1990. In 1991 he moved from Cuba to the Dominican Republic, that same year he participated in one of the largest jazz festivals in Japan, Mt. Fuji Jazz, with his American trio.

His trio at this festival, where they recorded "Images", is an all-acoustic trio with drummer Jack DeJohnette and bassist John Patitucci. They are a highest class small band, with whom Rubalcaba shows his excellent level of musicianship as lead and as collaborator. The album's opener, "No Name", is a six minute long Rubalcaba original, a fast tuneful fusion piece that Hiromi would be proud of.

Lennon's "Imagine", bright lyrical ballade, sounds surprisingly fresh. The trio switches toward jazz roots on "Autumn Leaves", where Rubalcaba's classical training feels more obvious, and the composition sounds really great.

There are two trio member's originals on this album - Patitucci's ballade "Peace And Quiet Time", and DeJohnette's "Ebony", plus two more of Rubalcaba's own songs - "Joao" and the closer "Mima".

Rubalcaba demonstrates here his best playing - emotive, tuneful, very technical, with classical touch, but never formal and very lively. Compositions are all different, quite memorable, and DeJohnette and Patitucci are both in a great form too.

Impressive work of three greats, tradition rooted but with lots of Cuban passion.
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