Artist.......: Roberto Occhipinti
Album........: Yemaya
Label........: ALMA Records
Genre........: Jazz
Catnr........: ACD12132
source.......: CDDA
rip.date.....: Sep-25-2006
str.date.....: Jun-26-2006
quality......: VBR/44,1Hz/Joint-Stereo
Url..........: www.robertoocchipinti.com
track title time
01. Maracatres 07:12
02. Mank 04:40
03. Yemaya 05:03
04. El Otro Tipo 07:10
05. A Ilha 05:17
06. The Shadow 05:52
07. Herbie's Mood 05:45
08. Bernardo's Tango 06:13
09. Yambu (for Pancho Quinto) 03:46
Runtime 50:58 min
Size 77,5 MB
Release Notes:
Roberto Occhipinti, a bassist who has comfortably
straddled an increasingly tenuous line between
classical and jazz worlds for many years, has
become more ambitious in style and scope with each
successive release. On Yemaya, the Toronto native
ups the ante from his superb mini-big band release
The Cusp (Modicamusic, 2003) by enlisting a string
quartet, a host of percussionists and a full
symphony orchestra to augment his core septet.
Despite the emphasis on composition and
arrangement, there's still plenty of solo space on
this program, which combines music by Djavan and
Jovino Santos-Neto, two traditional Cuban tunes,
and originals by Occhipinti, tenor saxophonist Phil
Dwyer and pianist Hilario Durßn. The result is a
potent blend of rhythm and texture.
As Santos-Neto's Maracatres opens, Occhipinti
warmly states the theme over a gentle wash of
strings that would befit an Eberhard Weber record.
But the tranquility doesnÆt last. Percussionist
Manino Costa and Ernesto Simpsonùwho replaces the
group's regular drummer, Dafnis Prieto, on three
tracks enter with a propulsive groove, setting the
stage for Occhipinti's complex contrapuntal
arrangement. After another brief solo from
Occhipinti, things settle into a comfortable 6/8
samba that provides both Dwyer and Duran a chance
to stretch.
Duran's discography may lean towards the Afro-Cuban
side, but he's a broad-minded player. His Herbie's
Mood lends a contemporary nod to Hancock's classic
The Prisoner (Blue Note, 1969). Dwyer, on the other
hand, despite his more diverse exposure, remains
more closely aligned with the Latin vibe of Yemaya.
His Bernardo's Tango has the same harmonic depth of
Occhipinti's and Duran's writing the kind of
modernistic expansion of the Latin tradition that
others like Miguel Zenon, Edward Simon and Luis
Perdomo are currently exploring.
Occhipinti's two contributions are almost
diametrically opposed. Mank is a rhythmically
knotty tune that, like Maracatres, relies on
complicated counterpoint to set the context for
another powerful Dwyer solo. El Otro Tipo feels
more rhythmically straightforward; but by enlisting
Moscow's Globalis Symphony Orchestra, it reveals
Occhipinti's increasing skill with a larger sonic
palette. This is no jazz with strings project, but
a fully integrated effort without clear
demarcation. Kevin Turcotte delivers an almost
painfully melancholy flugelhorn solo on Djavan's A
Ilha, supported by Occhipinti's ability to arrange
lush strings without straying into saccharine
sentimentality.
Like the title track, the traditional Cuban clave
Yambu adds vocals to the mix, further expanding
Occhipinti's scope on an album that remains clearly
focused. Yemaya another reason for jazz fans from
around the world to investigate Canada's jazz scene
is so fully realized that one wonders where
Occhipinti will go next.