Cuban pianist, Roberto Fonseca, will be opening 2012’s Gateshead International Jazz Festival in Hall One.
Cuban music is currently thriving; musicians from all over the island are performing on the world’s most famous stages, and pianists like Roberto Fonseca are undoubtedly the stars of the multi-faceted Cuban musical scene.
His forthcoming album, YO, to be released in the spring of 2012 pays homage to Cuba and its African roots whilst bringing it up to date exploring new sounds and dimensions – blending traditional acoustic instruments with elements of electronica.
The fully-fledged Buena Vista Social Club prodigy leads a new generation of Cuban artists on a journey that weaves in and out of the island’s traditional music, picking up jazz, classical, and Afro-Cuban influences along the way to create an astonishingly original musical landscape.
Born in 1975 (Havana) into a musical family, Roberto started studying piano at the age of 8, though his initial passion was percussion. This interest from such an early age clearly influenced his trademark “percussive” piano-playing style, with a performance at Havana’s International Jazz Festival aged just 15.
“At school we used to regard American jazz as a point of reference; I felt that my music would be a fusion of both genres … I liked lots of jazz musicians, such as Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett, but also old American funk and soul classics”.
Roberto was last at The Sage Gateshead as part of a co-produced Havana Cultura project tour with DJ Gilles Peterson with whom he continues to work with.
Press Quotes
“A fabulously gifted pianist, composer and band leader… a gift for melody that outshines more celebrated peers…one of a new breed who can transcend musical boundaries through sheer quality.” Guardian
“Confirmation that the 36-year-old Cuban pianist is one of the most gifted, adventurous spirits of his generation… by turns playful and passionate, YO boasts poise and experimentation in equal measure.” Observer
“A tumbling mix of electro and analogue sounds, creating am absorbing, textured showcase for some extraordinary musicianship. The energy Fonseca applies to mixing traditions is exhilarating” Metro
“YO goes beyond the usual bounds of Afro-Cuban jazz with a mix of melodic and muscular tunes.” The Times
Photo Credit: Tomas Miña
Roberto Fonseca Yo Review
Robin Denselow 2012-03-12
Fonseca is one of the most exciting musicians in the new Cuban scene.
Roberto Fonseca has moved on, once again. The Cuban pianist first came to international attention when he achieved the seemingly impossible by successfully taking over from the late and brilliant Ruben Gonzalez in the Buena Vista Social Club, but he has gone to prove that he is not just a dazzling accompanist but a bravely original composer and performer capable of a startling variety of styles.
His previous solo sets have shown him moving away from Buena Vista-style material to a more adventurous approach, mixing his Cuban roots with themes from around the world. The trend continues here: he mixes jazz with global influences, especially from Africa, and Yo is remarkable for its variety, its confidence, and its sheer energy. Opener 80’s was written by Fonseca and is an upbeat party dance piece in which he switches between piano and organ. It sets a tone, with furious percussion that is matched by his equally high-energy, stomping keyboard work, eventually giving way to a more lyrical theme.
He is naturally fascinated by Cuba’s links with Africa, and the album continues his collaborations with African artists. His Akokan album of 2009 featured the Cape Verdean singer Mayra Andrade, but this time round his favoured female vocalist is new Malian star Fatoumata Diawara. Bibisa starts with her cool vocals matched against an insistent riff, but develops into a furious instrumental work-out with piano matched against traditional West African instruments: Baba Sissoko is on n’goni, and Sekou Kouyate on kora. Elsewhere, there’s an appearance from the great Assane Mboup, one of the lead singers with the veteran Senegalese band Orchestra Baobab, who takes the lead on the cheerful, distinctively Cuban Quien Soy Yo. Elsewhere, there are North African influences on Chabani, with its blend of galloping hand percussion and jazzy piano with the chanting, drifting vocals of Faudel, while Gnawa Stop makes use of the hypnotic repeated rhythm patterns of the descendants of black Africans who were brought across the Sahara as slaves.
Then there are the surprises. El Mayor is a drifting piano piece matched against the crackle of a radio switching between different stations, while 7 Rayos pays homage to the religion of the Yoruba people who moved from Africa to Cuba with the slave trade, and mixes electronic programming with kora, and a clanking riff with piano and a recording of a great Cuban poet, the late Nicolás Guillén. Braver still, there’s Mi Negra Ave Maria, a track co-produced by DJ Gilles Peterson, which starts like a slow, grand hymn and ends up with the energy of a furious gospel session, with an English language poem from Mike Ladd added. By matching tradition with experiment, Fonseca has become one of the most exciting musicians in the new Cuban scene.
Roberto Fonseca returns with “Yo”
Roberto Fonseca is one of the most charismatic Cuban musicians of his generation. The Buena Vista Social Club® prodigy and Havana Cultura star has grabbed Cuban music by the horns and continued this party into the 21st century.
His new album YO is out on 19th March and is his most daring one to date. Fonseca explores new sounds and dimensions, blending traditional acoustic instruments with elements of electronica, and as Roberto says the album is “the beginning of a new phase.” It pays homage to Cuba’s African roots, crisscrossing the Atlantic, while striking forward with red-hot grooves and electronic beats that effortlessly updates the island’s musical lineage.
Alongside the Latin jazz licks whipped up by Fonseca’s piano and keyboards are percussionist Baba Sissoko, Etienne Mbappe on bass, Sekou Kouyateon kora, Munir Hossn on guitar, accompanied by the Cubans Joel Hierrezulo on percussion, Ramses Rodriguez on drums and Felipe Cabrera on double bass. There are vocal collaborations from Faudel, Fatoumata Diawara, Assane Mboup and the spoken word artist Mike Ladd. Also included are the producers Gilles Peterson, who co-produced two tracks, and the American producer Count who mastered the album, and also remixed two of the tracks.
Fonseca, whose live shows have been capturing audiences worldwide for more than a decade, hits the road as the album is released with a seven-date UK tour starting on 23rd March, plus three additional dates in May. The tour line-up features Fonseca on piano, keyboards and vocals, Baba Sissoko on African percussion, Joel Hierrezuelo on Cuban percussion, Ramsés Rodríguez on drums, Yandy Martínez on bass, Jorge Chicoy on guitar, Javier Zalba on sax, flute and clarinet and Sekou Kouyate on kora. This group is the sound of things to come in Afro-Cuban music, and with Roberto Fonseca at the helm, it is sure to be one of the live shows to catch in 2012.
Roberto Fonseca: YO
Cuban pianist searches African roots
The Cuban pianist goes in search of African roots, joined by Sekou Kouyate on kora and Baba Sissoko on percussion. “Bibisa” sets kora against ngoni, with Fatoumata Diawara singing over the top.
North Africa is represented by “Chabani”, with Faudel duetting with talking drum; “Gnawa Stop” finds common ground between Gnawa and Afro-Cuban rhythms. Fonseca alternates between piano and squelching electric organ.
Other Reviews
“Recognized as a major influence on modern Cuban jazz, and jazz in general, Roberto proves that his horizons are not limited by the subtleties of jazz, nor to just the Caribbean. An epic at the crossroads of jazz, traditional music and soul; a crossing of both sides of the shores of the Atlantic; an album which presents a new artist, not because he has changed but because his art still contains many surprises.” All About Jazz
The phrase ‘Blew me away’ has been overused to the point of cliché but by the end of the opening track ‘80’s’ I was literally breathless: the rush of rhythm and percussion and Fonseca’s piano hits you like an assault. This is modern Cuban music at its absolute best.” Music News.com
“Yo has already made it onto my Shortlist for Best World Music Albums of 2012. It’s oozing jazz, rock, funk, rumba, gnawa, montuno, hip-hop and a whole load more, all marinated in that ineffable Cuban sabor. The lasting impression is one of experimentation, exploration and conversation.“ World Music.co.uk
Part of Gateshead International Jazz Festival
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