Four Cuban pianists present Tumbao album in Madrid

July 15, 2021

They're from the hill, by Miguel Matamoros, to close out the event, with eight hands and with the sound of Latin jazz with a Cuban accent, a summer refreshment at the presentation of the album Tumbao in Madrid.

In reality, two consecutive concerts at the Casa de América in this capital with Iván Melón Lewis, Luis Guerra, Pepe Rivero and Javier Massó (Caramelo), under the production of Javier Monteverde who pushed forward the idea of making an album for his Cezanne label.

I wanted to capture the wonderful moment that they are experiencing at an artistic level and when I called them together I asked them to compose and record three pieces each, without hearing anything from the others, Monteverde explained to Prensa Latina.

He also confessed that in the end a very risky album was made for Cezanne Producciones, "because the pandemic slowed down its development and it practically remained paralyzed for a year, until now that we're picking it up again."

Pepe Rivero, native of the eastern city of Manzanillo, emphasized that his approach to music came to him precisely through his family's friendship with an uncle who was part of the popular Original de Manzanillo orchestra.

Rivero explained to Prensa Latina that he knew Pachi Naranjo, pianist and director of that group, and from childhood he immersed himself in the world of music.

"Our album has a common denominator, its Cubanness that emerges in all the compositions and it's like the saying goes, the goat heads for the mountains," he noted.

Lecuona, Cervantes, Matamoros, Rafael Hernández, among others, were authors honored in the recitals of the four Cuban pianists, with free versions, marked by jazz and son.

Luis Guerra, from the central city of Santa Clara, who previously lived 10 years in Toronto, Canada, where he received lessons from the renowned American jazz musician Barry Harris, praised the chemistry with the rest of the performers.

A regular at the Jazz Plaza festivals in La Habana, Melón Lewis recalled the advice that Chucho Valdés gave him during his student days and even after he was established. Also from his experiences playing with Isaac Delgado.

"There is a mystery in the reason why Cuba is a breeding ground for great pianists throughout history, with the inspiration of so many like Chucho, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Bola de Nieves, Emiliano Salvador, Pérez Prado himself," Massó agreed with Melón Lewis.

Of the 12 compositions on the album stand out Danzana (Melón Lewis), A Cecilia (Guerra), Descarga para Emiliano Salvador (Caramelo Massó) and Con Tumbao (Rivero).