Israel Lopez Cachao with support Omar Puente & Robert Mitchell Duo
Barbican Concert Hall - London, 29th April 07
review by Alex Wilson
A memorable evening of Cuban music and jazz at the Barbican Concert Hall in London was opened by the Omar Puente and Robert Mitchell, who both immediately established both their virtuosity and also a sense of humour in their music. Pianist Mitchell played with an effortless ease that comes only from a complete dedication to the instrument and the duo performed original compositions and standards with inflexions of the Cuban tradition, Chick Corea and contemporary classical music.
At points, Puente broadened the palette of the piano/violin sound by a creative yet tasteful use of effects pedals on his instrument before returning to soaring melodies and energetic solos. In the true spirit of Cuban entertainment, Puente chose to sing a Cuban version of the jazz standard Beautiful Love before closing the show in an impressive flurry of Chucho Valdez’s Mambo Influenciado.
Then it was the veteran Cuban bassist Israel “Cachao” Lopez’s turn to take the stage and he was greeted warmly by a standing ovation from the crowd.
Cachao, who was born in Havana in 1918, brought a hybrid lineup of two male vocals, sax/flute, trumpet, trombone, violin & Cuban rhythm section to the Barbican stage – which allowed him to cover latin jazz and also more traditional Cuban styles.
From the outset, it was clear that these were musicians who had been doing it for years and were there to have a great time and so, driven by the leader’s constantly undulating bass tumbao, the group performed pieces mainly in the descarga format – a type of structured Afro-Cuban jam session and a form that Cachao himself pioneered in the 1950’s. This style of playing frees the musicians from the tight restrictions of salsa and allows the instrumentalists feature as soloists while still retaining structure.
The eighty-nine year old bassist started the concert by launching into the tune everyone wanted to hear – Descarga Cachao – driven by his famous bass line that has influenced countless other salsa and latin jazz compositions.
The audience were also treated to renditions of some of the first mambos and pachangas to come into existence, penned by the leader back in the 1930’s for the group he had with his brother, Arcano y sus Maravillas.
As every good band leader knows, problematic sound amplification – such as was encountered on this occasion – requires an sensitive approach and Cachao in his maturity was not afraid to pair the instruments down to the bare bones in order to feature his soloists. This was done to great effect on Mambo for a duo with conguero Richie Flores and also on Rendencion with a friendly duel with violinist Federico Britos showing that Cuban strings are some of the most hippest in the world …
The inclusion of Si me pudieras querer composed by the pianist Bola de Nieve added further delicate contrast as the ensemble stripped down to violin, clarinet and rhythm section for a tribute to the Cuban-born composer/pianist born in the early 1900’s.
The concert came to a climax with an Afro-Cuban guaguancó, Yambu, followed by a breakneck-tempo piece Chambelona, ably driven by timbalero Edwin Bonilla.
If there was any disappointment it was only that the group chose not to play any of the older, more traditional styles such as the elegant danzon that is so rarely heard and of which Cachao is an acknowledged master.
That said, the eighty-nine year-old’s first performance in the UK has to be one that will remain the hearts and minds of many for years to come.
