| FRANCISCO
AGUABELLA "H2O"
This
ultra-rare and highly sought-after piece of Latin jazz history
has finally been reissued for the world to experience! This CuBop
re-release corrected previous mix problems; and the album was
completely remixed and remastered "Francisco
Aguabella's H2O, originally released on the Olm label in 1986
and long out of print, is the kind of forgotten gem that all too
often stays that way. So Latin-jazz fans should thank their lucky
stars that Cubop has seen fit to reissue it in all its fiery glory.
H2O is a white-hot recording that showcases precisely why Aguabella,
a master percussionist who was born in Matanzas, Cuba, and who
has been a driving force in Latin jazz and Afro-Cuban music since
his U.S. arrival in 1957, is a certified living legend. Bristling
with tight salsa arrangements that spotlight Aguabella's topnotch
ensemble (including Nengue Hernandez on timbales and vocals and
trombonist Dan Weinstein, who's also appeared with Aguabella to
great effect on 1999's Agua de Cuba), H2O still leaves plenty
of room for Aguabella to shine. "Wood Place" intertwines
a delicious piano montuno with some thrilling interplay between
Aguabella's congas and the horn section, "Nena" boasts
some tricky unison vocal work from Hernandez, Aguabella, and Orlando
Lopez, and "Danzonette" presents Aguabella's riveting
take on the classic Cuban danzon style. About the only quibble
with H2O is its woeful lack of information in the packaging--surely
not Cubop's fault, as the album was licensed from a small, fly-by-night
label, but missed nonetheless. Still, as anyone who hears this
will agree, that's a minor point: the music here is enough."
-Ezra Gale, Amazon.com
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