Solo (Gonzalo Rubalcaba album)
Solo | ||||
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Cuban jazz | ||||
Length | 55:04 | |||
Label | Blue Note | |||
Producer | Gonzalo Rubalcaba | |||
Gonzalo Rubalcaba chronology | ||||
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Solo is a
Also
Background and release
Cuban pianist
Content
Solo includes fifteen tracks, some previously released.[5][9] Recording sessions took place from November 8 to 10, 2005, at The Hit Factory and Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida.[6][10] There are four improvised tracks inspired by John Coltrane's Giant Steps: "Paseo Iluminado", "Paseo en Media Luz", "Paseo Azul", and "Paseo Morado".[9] "Iluminado (Improv #1)", according to Roberto R. Calder of PopMatters, has "stock phrasing, but a pause in concentration before the sublime quality of a one-minute lullaby worth waiting for"; "Media Luz (Improv #2)" "hints at jazz with concert-room sonorities and a striking ending";[11] "Azul (Improv #3)" "proceeds with more consistent direction than its two predecessors" and becomes a hymn";[11] and "Morado (Improv #4)" "develops into long linear passages for each hand."[11] "Faro" is a track with "a simple ostinato bass, a transition section and a loud climax."[11] The opening track, "Rezo", is an interlude inspired by the work of French composer Claude Debussy and American performer Duke Ellington, and is "based on Afro-Cuban melodies sung during Santería rites."[5][11][12] "Silencio" is a tribute to Cuban boleros.[5][11] "Prologo (Prologue to a Fantasy)" features a "congenial intellectual playfulness alternating between something like Spanish piano music of a century ago, and the dance-hall."[11] "Bésame Mucho" was first included on the 1991 album The Blessing, Rubalcaba's first recording to be issued in the United States, and the version was named by Scott Yanow of AllMusic a "highlight" of the album, including accompaniment from Haden on bass guitar and drummer Jack DeJohnette.[13] A reworked version is included on Solo, and is described as having an "intensely meditative character and slow deliberation," and "a more complex higher level of communication" than the original version.[5][11][14] "Here's That Rainy Day" is a jazz ballad, recorded earlier for the album Inner Voyage, with an arrangement described as "breathtaking" by Ken Dryden of Allmusic.[11][15] The first version of "Quasar" can be found on Paseo (2004);[16] and the version included on Solo is described as "seven minutes of drama," by Calder of PopMatters, with "a sprawling, improv-heavy composition that runs Rubalcaba up and down the keyboard."[11][17]
Reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings[20] |
Solo received mostly positive reviews from critics. Andrew Liengard of Jazz Houston stated that Rubalcaba played "at once a pyrotechnical and thunderous two-handed assault, he also demonstrates a profound awareness of space and dynamics," and finally called the album "stunning".
Solo peaked at number 22 in the Billboard
Track listing
The track listing is from AllMusic. All tracks written and composed by Gonzalo Rubalcaba, except "Nightfall" by Charlie Haden; "Bésame Mucho" by Consuelo Velázquez; and "Here's That Rainy Day" by Johnny Burke and James Van Heusen.[7]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Rezo" | 1:37 |
2. | "Quasar" | 6:48 |
3. | "Silencio" | 3:40 |
4. | "Paseo Iluminado (Improv #1)" | 3:26 |
5. | "Canción para Dormir en el Sillón" | 1:05 |
6. | "Paseo en Media Luz (Improv #2)" | 2:57 |
7. | "Canción de Cuna del Niño Negro" | 2:44 |
8. | "Faro" | 3:38 |
9. | "Paseo Azul (Improv #3)" | 2:42 |
10. | "Sueño de Muñecas" | 1:36 |
11. | "Paseo Morado (Improv #4)" | 2:27 |
12. | "Prologo (Prologue to a Fantasy)" | 7:05 |
13. | "Here's That Rainy Day" | 5:37 |
14. | "Nightfall" | 5:12 |
15. | "Bésame Mucho" | 4:13 |
Total length: | 55:04 |
Personnel
This information is adapted from AllMusic.[7]
- Gonzalo Rubalcaba – main performer, producer, composer, piano
- Charlie Haden – composer
- Jim Anderson – audio engineer, mixing
- Ken Blaydow – executive producer
- Mario Garcia – post-digital production
- Perry Greenfield – product manager
- Brian Montgomery – mixing assistant
- Neweraj Khajanchi – assistant engineer
- Allan Tucker – mastering
- Gordon H. Jee – creative director
- Eli Wolf – A&R
- Jana Leon – photography
- Tor Lundvall – paintings
- Burton Yount – art direction, graphic design
References
- Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
- CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
- Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
- ^ Garza, Oscar (July 27, 2002). "It's Haden Versus Rubalcaba, Round 2, at Latin Grammys". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
- ^ Amazon. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
- ^ a b Solo — Gonzalo Rubalcaba (CD liner notes). Blue Note Records. 2005.
- ^ Rovi Corporation. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ^ "Gonzalo Rubalcaba - Solo Audio CD". CD Universe. 2006. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Liengard, Andrew (November 27, 2006). "REVIEW: Gonzalo Rubalcaba 'Solo'". Jazz Houston. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ^ "Gonzalo Rubalcaba – Solo". Discogs. 2006. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Calder, Roberto R. (March 8, 2006). "Gonzalo Rubalcaba: Solo". PopMatters. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
- ^ Ratliff, Ben (June 29, 2006). "Gonzalo Rubalcaba's Jazz, Played in a Club but Suited for a Concert Hall". The New York Times. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
- Rovi Corporation. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ^ a b Corroto, Mark (March 6, 2006). "Gonzalo Rubalcaba: Solo (2006)". Jazz Houston. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
- Rovi Corporation. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- Rovi Corporation. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ^ a b c Sprinkle, Timothy. "Gonzalo Rubalcaba Solo". Jazz Review. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
- ^ a b Miller, David (March 11, 2006). "Gonzalo Rubalcaba: Solo (2006)". Jazz Houston. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
- ^ a b Siders, Harvey (April 2006). "Gonzalo Rubalcaba Solo". JazzTimes. Madavor Media. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
- ^ Santella, Jim (March 4, 2006). "Gonzalo Rubalcaba: Solo (2006)". Jazz Houston. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
- ^ "2007 Billboard Latin Music Awards Finalists". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2007. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- Gannett Company. November 3, 2006. Retrieved April 20, 2013.