Marilyn Lerner - Marilyn Lerner in Cuba: Birds Are Returning

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Free Music Notes for Marilyn Lerner in Cuba: Birds Are Returning

Free Music Review: Only the most accomplished of musicians could pull this off
Hit: 5 Stars

Thoroughly assimilate an alien music and create one of the greatest records in the genre--in this case, what I call the Nu Latin Jazz--in three days! Yes, Marilyn Lerner had been to Cuba once. And she'd played with the salsa group Papa Mambo. She's listened to the great Cuban percussionists (Chano Pozo, Mario Bauza, Mongo Santamaria) and pianists (Eddie Palmieri, Papo Luca, and Chano Valdez). But she'd never really immersed herself in the rhythms of this grand music (e.g., her friend and compatriot, Jane Bunnett, herself having recorded many wonderful Cuban jazz discs, says it took her months to fully catch the unique Cuban rhythmic vibe). So Lerner's feat is all the more remarkable.

This music strikes me as among the most glorious ever recorded in a Afro-Cuban setting. Maybe it's because Lerner brings the added sophistication of classical and new music sensibilities to this session (although having thoroughly assimilated the swing of jazz--which is not true of all musicians with her background). In any case, she certainly connects in an intimate and profound way with her indiginous Cuban musical partners.

Highlights for me--and there're really no slackers, so it's hard to pick--include a mesmeric, haunting version of Horace Silver's great tune "Que Pasa," amazingly revealing both its French and Spanish Caribbean roots and featuring beautifully realized solos from both Yosvanny Terry (tenor) and Jane Bunnett (soprano) on sax; The opener, "Runaround," with its tricky/simple melodic line and rhythmic charge; a stunning rendition of "I Loves You Porgy," stately, elegiac, wistful; "Solomon," with its Celtic vibe; and the boppish ". . . not to startle the strangeness away."

With highest level playing by all involved, this is a disc not to be missed.

Marilyn Lerner in Cuba: Birds Are Returning Poster

The music presented on this CD offers a refreshingly different sound from much of today's mainstream jazz output. The presence of the Cuban musicians, including the bata drummers, Lerner's creative charts, and varying instrumentation ensure that this disc stands out from the general run of contemporary jazz recordings.

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