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_________________________________________________________
__/ \
(__ ___)
\______________________________________________________/
._RELEASE_INFO_________
. \______________________________________.
. .
. Artist >> Francisco Mela .
. Album >> Melao .
. .
.______________________ .
. \______________________________________.
. .
. Style >> Jazz .
. Release >> Aug/08/2007 .
. Street >> 000/00/0000 .
. Company >> n/a .
. Media >> CDDA .
. Size >> 78,9 MB .
. .
. .
._RELEASE NOTES________ .
. \______________________________________.
. .
. Cuban drummers relocating to the US over the years have .
. made a remarkable contribution to jazz on these shores, .
. and Francisco Mela is the newest talent to add to that .
. list. Melao is a striking tour de force for the young .
. drummer/composer, who transplanted himself from Havana .
. to Boston a decade ago. Mela has wisely surrounded .
. himself with some of Boston's brightest young talents, .
. not to mention a generous and gorgeous cameo by Joe .
. Lovano on several tunes. .
. .
. The curious listener would be well advised to skip .
. ahead to track five, ôGalaxy,ö perhaps the most daring .
. of the uniformly excellent nine original pieces .
. composed by Mela. A blazing interchange between .
. saxophonists Lovano and George Garzone is the main .
. attraction that brings the composition into cohesion, .
. but repeated listenings reveal just how sophisticated .
. and engaging Mela's rhythmic patterns are as he .
. urgently pushes the horns to stretch to the max. He's .
. an rousingly busy drummer, tracing his style back to .
. Roy Haynes, though I also hear Tony Williams in terms .
. of a airy and deft quickness in responding to the .
. saxes. It would require only a slight play of .
. imagination to hear this tune as a selection on a .
. ôTribute to Milesö disc, with Garzone lovingly evoking .
. Wayne Shorter, and Mela dancing over every square inch .
. of his drum kit with the teenager's enthusiasm that .
. Williams never seemed to lose with age. .
. .
. The rest of the album? A fascinating mix of colors pop .
. up. A few measures of Afro-Cuban chanting, some darkly .
. atmospheric electronic storms contributed by the very .
. edgy and versatile electric guitarist Nir Felder. A .
. cover of Ornette Coleman's ôLaw Yearsö does justice to .
. Ornette's endearing agitations. .
. .
. In some ways, to create a just comparison, I think Mela .
. is just as striking a new talent as drummer/composer .
. Dafnis Prieto, and both artists successfully pursue a .
. freedom to weave their Cuban musical backgrounds into .
. global tapestries that can be called ôfree Latin .
. music.ö And in Mela's case, accent the word ôfree.ö .
. öFreeö in the context of this passionately realized .
. project means ôdisciplined imagination.ö .
. .
. .
. Track listing: John Ramsey; Sopresa; Arere; Parasuayo; .
. Galaxy; Chela; Obayoko (Intro); Obayoko; Law Years; .
. Parallel Worlds. .
. .
. Personnel: Francisco Mela: drums, vocals, percussion; .
. Joe Lovano: tenor saxophone; George Garzone: tenor .
. saxophone; Anat Cohen: tenor saxophone, clarinet; .
. Lionel Loueke: guiktar; Nir Felder: electric guitar & .
. effects; Leo Genovese: piano, Fender Rhodes, keyboard; .
. Peter Slavov: bass. .
. .
. .
._TRACK_LISTING________ .
. \______________________________________.
. .
. >> 01 >> John Ramsay .
. >> 02 >> Sorpresa .
. >> 03 >> Arere .
. >> 04 >> Parasuayo .
. >> 05 >> Galaxy .
. >> 06 >> Chela .
. >> 07 >> Obayoko (Intro) .
. >> 08 >> Obayoko .
. >> 09 >> Law Years .
. >> 10 >> Parallel World .
. .
. >> 55:52 min .
. .
.______________________ .
. \______________________________________.
. .
. .
.______________________ .
\______________________________________.