SPIRIT OF CHANGO
1
34 JULY09 // Jazzwise ondon’s Institute of Contemporary Arts, May: Roberto Fonseca is leaning away from his piano, head tipped back like a lizard in the sun, fingers kneading a sound that’s muscular, swirling, percussive. His long-time quartet – including bassist Omar González, drummer Ramsés Rodriguez and collaborative partner Javier Zalba – keep up a fierce, self-assured groove, underscoring just why this Cuban phenomenon has been compared with the likes of McCoy Tyner and Herbie Hancock. Thirty-five-year-old Fonseca has been dazzling Europe for a while now. All the extensive touring on the back of his album from two years ago, Zamazu, along with regular local performances at venues including Havana jazz club Zorro y el Cuervo (‘The Fox And The Crow’), has lent the celebrated pianist further depth and texture. While still very much an ensemble player Fonseca seems to be stepping up his solos, revelling in his gifts for melody and lyricism, form and timing, for subtlety, intimacy and innovation. All of which are evident on his new album Akokan, a self-produced affair that was recorded late last year in Havana’s legendary EGREM studios. Like the earlier album, it manages to be eclectic and adventurous while still boasting tunes you can whistle. Like it – and indeed, Fonseca’s oeuvre – the new album comes to jazz via soul and funk and the Afro-Cuban rhythms of his country. “Jazz lets me stretch my imagination,” he says. “Music should never be confined.” Akokan brings the magic, strength and improvisation from a Fonseca live show to the studio. “My band and I have been together for 12 years now and our relationship is telepathic, I swear it,” Fonseca says, in halting English the day after the show. “We’re going further all the time. The chemistry we have really does encourage creativity. The hardest bit for me was choosing which tracks to include.” He pauses and sighs. “All the music I compose is a part of me,” he says with a shrug. “It’s like having to choose between your children.” The new album moves from pretty lullabies and soulful Ibrahim Ferrer-inspired son to Coltrane freefalls and shimmying, thundering dance music; at times Fonseca uses his voice – seemingly involuntarily – to emphasise a particular emotional highpoint. “I’d like to go back in time and change the mistakes I made so that those who love me could be even happier,” writes Fonseca, who dedicates a couple of tracks to his beloved mother Mercedes – with whom he still lives in a modest three-bedroom house in Vedado, a pleasant neighbourhood of Havana. Where Zamazu included cameos from a range of big name talent from Brazilian percussionist Carlinhos Brown to Buena Vista stalwarts Omara Portuondo, the late Cachaito Lopez and the late Ibrahim Ferrer (along with a cover of Abdullah Ibrahim’s ‘Ishmael’), Akokan leaves off the elder states people in favour of two special guest vocalists: Cape Verdean chanteuse and rising world music star Mayra Andrade and the hugely talented African American/Argentinian singer-songwriter Raul Midón – who lends his Donny Hathaway-influenced voice and fine guitar skills to his own ‘Everyone Deserves a Second Chance’, deftly arranged by Fonseca. Twenty-four-year-old Andrade wrote and sings the lyrics to the beautiful, hymn-like ‘Sieta Potencias’, a song dedicated “to the saints, to those who have passed away, and to Mother Earth, where we all come from.” Despite living and working in Paris and growing up, variously, in Senegal, Angola and Germany, Andrade was actually born in Cuba; here her playful, caressing voice is the perfect accompaniment for Fonseca’s inspired harmonic structures. Two nights previously, at a small showcase for Andrade at Le China in Paris, Fonseca is namechecked (“I am so grateful he is here”) but spends much of her set looking bored. Andrade’s golden tonsils and dreamy, sambafied sound are perhaps too smooth for a musician who lists John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Arsenio Rodriguez among his major influences. “The record company,” he says when asked how their collaboration came about, before stepping away to pose for photos alongside Andrade. Asked about Midón, he lights up: “Amazing. I hope we can work more together.” Back home in Havana – the capital of a country marking 50 years of revolucion – Fonseca has long been regarded as the future of Cuban music, ever since he made his live solo debut at Havana’s Jazz Plaza International Festival aged 15. His musical leanings were nurtured early, legacy of a family with rhythm in their DNA and a Castro-implemented education system that identifies talent at a young age and channels them into performing arts schools (where, sadly, termites have chewed their way through many a baby grand). Roberto Alain Fonseca Cortés studied at the Guillermo Tomas School of Music in the Guanabocoa municipality, before going on to complete a degree in piano and musical composition at the National School of Art. “I was born into a musical family and my first maestro was mi casa [‘my home’],” says Fonseca, whose father Roberto Fonseca Senior played the drums and whose mother Mercedes Cortes (whose a cappella voice opens both Zamazu and Akokan) was a professional dancer and singer – and a woman who was briefly married to none other than Chucho Valdés, the great Cuban pianist bandleader and founder of jazz supergroup Irakere. His two elder half-brothers, Emilio and Chuchito, are a drummer and pianist now based in America and Mexico. “My older brothers used to play a lot of funk and soul and my mum used to sing bolero and son montuno all day. I had so much fun. It all happened very naturally. I started playing drum kit at the age of four and my first job was as a drummer.” A drummer, as it happens for a Beatles cover band. “I began studying piano when I was eight. It’s a more complete instrument. You can use it to make melodies or harmonies or as the rhythm section. Once I realised that there was no stopping me,” says Fonseca, whose percussive style links back to these formative years. “I wasn’t a great student, though,” he continues with a grin. “I didn’t do my homework and my parents were always pushing me, until the day I realised that music was really my thing. Then I got more serious.” He studied Beethoven and Bach but along with his fellow students became obsessed with American jazz. “The one album that was life changing for me was Standards Vol 1 and 2 by Keith Jarrett. I remember that cassette was regarded as something SPIRIT OF CHANGO L Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca cuts quite a dash with his contemporary montuno stylings. First spotted touring internationally with the Buena Vista Social Club after appearing on disc 10 years ago. On new album Akokan he moves from Ibrahim Ferrer-inspired son to Coltrane-inspired improvisations and beyond with a few additional tracks featuring singers Mayra Andrade and the highly-rated Raul Midón. Interview: Jane Cornwell Features, july 09 12/6/09 11:11 Page 20
Transcript of SPIRIT OF CHANGO
34 JULY09 // Jazzwise
ondon’s Institute of Contemporary Arts, May:Roberto Fonseca is leaning away from hispiano, head tipped back like a lizard in the
sun, fingers kneading a sound that’s muscular,swirling, percussive. His long-time quartet – includingbassist Omar González, drummer Ramsés Rodriguezand collaborative partner Javier Zalba – keep up afierce, self-assured groove, underscoring just whythis Cuban phenomenon has been compared withthe likes of McCoy Tyner and Herbie Hancock.
Thirty-five-year-old Fonseca has been dazzlingEurope for a while now. All the extensive touring onthe back of his album from two years ago, Zamazu,along with regular local performances at venuesincluding Havana jazz club Zorro y el Cuervo (‘TheFox And The Crow’), has lent the celebrated pianistfurther depth and texture. While still very much anensemble player Fonseca seems to be stepping uphis solos, revelling in his gifts for melody andlyricism, form and timing, for subtlety, intimacy andinnovation.
All of which are evident on his new albumAkokan, a self-produced affair that was recorded latelast year in Havana’s legendary EGREM studios.Like the earlier album, it manages to be eclectic andadventurous while still boasting tunes you canwhistle. Like it – and indeed, Fonseca’s oeuvre – thenew album comes to jazz via soul and funk and theAfro-Cuban rhythms of his country. “Jazz lets mestretch my imagination,” he says. “Music shouldnever be confined.”
Akokan brings the magic, strength andimprovisation from a Fonseca live show to the studio.“My band and I have been together for 12 years nowand our relationship is telepathic, I swear it,” Fonsecasays, in halting English the day after the show.“We’re going further all the time. The chemistry wehave really does encourage creativity. The hardest bitfor me was choosing which tracks to include.” Hepauses and sighs. “All the music I compose is a partof me,” he says with a shrug. “It’s like having tochoose between your children.”
The new album moves from pretty lullabies andsoulful Ibrahim Ferrer-inspired son to Coltranefreefalls and shimmying, thundering dance music; attimes Fonseca uses his voice – seeminglyinvoluntarily – to emphasise a particular emotionalhighpoint. “I’d like to go back in time and change themistakes I made so that those who love me could beeven happier,” writes Fonseca, who dedicates acouple of tracks to his beloved mother Mercedes –with whom he still lives in a modest three-bedroomhouse in Vedado, a pleasant neighbourhood ofHavana.
Where Zamazu included cameos from a range ofbig name talent from Brazilian percussionistCarlinhos Brown to Buena Vista stalwarts OmaraPortuondo, the late Cachaito Lopez and the lateIbrahim Ferrer (along with a cover of AbdullahIbrahim’s ‘Ishmael’), Akokan leaves off the elderstates people in favour of two special guest vocalists:Cape Verdean chanteuse and rising world music starMayra Andrade and the hugely talented AfricanAmerican/Argentinian singer-songwriter Raul Midón –who lends his Donny Hathaway-influenced voice and
fine guitar skills to his own ‘Everyone Deserves aSecond Chance’, deftly arranged by Fonseca.
Twenty-four-year-old Andrade wrote and singsthe lyrics to the beautiful, hymn-like ‘Sieta Potencias’,a song dedicated “to the saints, to those who havepassed away, and to Mother Earth, where we allcome from.” Despite living and working in Paris andgrowing up, variously, in Senegal, Angola andGermany, Andrade was actually born in Cuba; hereher playful, caressing voice is the perfectaccompaniment for Fonseca’s inspired harmonicstructures.
Two nights previously, at a small showcase forAndrade at Le China in Paris, Fonseca isnamechecked (“I am so grateful he is here”) butspends much of her set looking bored. Andrade’sgolden tonsils and dreamy, sambafied sound are
perhaps too smooth for a musician who lists JohnColtrane, Miles Davis and Arsenio Rodriguez amonghis major influences. “The record company,” he sayswhen asked how their collaboration came about,before stepping away to pose for photos alongsideAndrade. Asked about Midón, he lights up: “Amazing.I hope we can work more together.”
Back home in Havana – the capital of a countrymarking 50 years of revolucion – Fonseca has longbeen regarded as the future of Cuban music, eversince he made his live solo debut at Havana’s JazzPlaza International Festival aged 15. His musicalleanings were nurtured early, legacy of a family withrhythm in their DNA and a Castro-implementededucation system that identifies talent at a young ageand channels them into performing arts schools(where, sadly, termites have chewed their waythrough many a baby grand). Roberto Alain FonsecaCortés studied at the Guillermo Tomas School ofMusic in the Guanabocoa municipality, before goingon to complete a degree in piano and musicalcomposition at the National School of Art.
“I was born into a musical family and my firstmaestro was mi casa [‘my home’],” says Fonseca,whose father Roberto Fonseca Senior played thedrums and whose mother Mercedes Cortes (whose acappella voice opens both Zamazu and Akokan) wasa professional dancer and singer – and a womanwho was briefly married to none other than ChuchoValdés, the great Cuban pianist bandleader andfounder of jazz supergroup Irakere. His two elderhalf-brothers, Emilio and Chuchito, are a drummerand pianist now based in America and Mexico.
“My older brothers used to play a lot of funk andsoul and my mum used to sing bolero and sonmontuno all day. I had so much fun. It all happenedvery naturally. I started playing drum kit at the age offour and my first job was as a drummer.” A drummer,as it happens for a Beatles cover band. “I beganstudying piano when I was eight. It’s a morecomplete instrument. You can use it to makemelodies or harmonies or as the rhythm section.Once I realised that there was no stopping me,” saysFonseca, whose percussive style links back to theseformative years.
“I wasn’t a great student, though,” he continueswith a grin. “I didn’t do my homework and my parentswere always pushing me, until the day I realised thatmusic was really my thing. Then I got more serious.”He studied Beethoven and Bach but along with hisfellow students became obsessed with Americanjazz. “The one album that was life changing for mewas Standards Vol 1 and 2 by Keith Jarrett. Iremember that cassette was regarded as something
SPIRIT OF CHANGO
L
Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca cuts quite a dash with his contemporary montuno stylings. First spottedtouring internationally with the Buena Vista Social Club after appearing on disc 10 years ago. On newalbum Akokan he moves from Ibrahim Ferrer-inspired son to Coltrane-inspired improvisations andbeyond with a few additional tracks featuring singers Mayra Andrade and the highly-rated Raul Midón.Interview: Jane Cornwell
Features, july 09 12/6/09 11:11 Page 20
