Search - Maraca Y Otra Vision :: Havana Calling

Excellent Cuban Jazz from Superb Musicians

zimri-lim | London, England | 11/28/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Havana Calling" is the first of Orlando "Maraca" Valle's string of successful Cuban Jazz productions which continued with "Sonando" and the more recent "Descarga Total". Throughout this set of superb releases Maraca has managed to keep a high level of composition and performance and has been instrumental (!) in moving Cuban Jazz onto an even higher level.Maraca played for many years with Chucho Valdes' very excellent band "Irakere" (check them out if you get the chance, these guys are world leaders in what they do). Now he has moved on to create his own band and write his own compositions and has taken to it like a duck to water. An interesting facet of this band is that the leader is a flute player; this gives the music a very attractive tropical sound which is entirely suited to the style of music. Good use of rhythm (remember these guys are Cubans) and tight playing create great excitement and the excellent solos add to the listening experience. Lots of influence from the various Cuban popular dance forms are included from Son and Salsa to Rhumba and Timba but taken to a greater level of musical complexity which appeals as much to the ears as to the feet.This is an excellent production with great compositions and brilliantly played. It has stood the test of time as I have enjoyed listening to it over a period of years and have not tired of it at any point. For a paltry (price) the return on investment (ROI to us business types) is pretty staggering!Recommended."

VERY good Latin-Jazz

Firebrand | Woonsocket, RI | 03/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD reminds me a lot of the type of Latin Jazz performed by the likes of Tito Puente's Golden Latin Jazz All Stars, Giovanni Hidalgo, and Dave Valentin. If you like flute playing, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better master of the instrument than Orlando "Maraca" Valle (who I consider to be one of the top three masters of the non-classical flute, next to Dave Valentin and Nestor Torres).



Maraca puts together a powerhouse group of accomplished masters on their own instruments (listen to that conguero! Very Giovanni Hidalgo-ish and talented!) and Maraca gives us very interesting arrangements and performances. More characteristic to this record, the very Cuban, African-folk rhythms show from time to time, from the rhythm of Conga (the cuban carnaval rhythm), to Abakwa 6/8 rhythms. This gem is very eclectic.



This is a great addition to your Latin-Jazz collection. It's serious jazz...for the conoisseur of the genre."