Hear Roberto Fonseca play live on Cerys on 6
as heard on BBC Radio 6 Music last weekend.
JAZZ PICK OF THE WEEK The Guardian
Roberto Fonseca piano, keyboards
Baba Sissoko African percussion
Joel Hierrezuelo Cuban percussion
Ramsés Rodríguez drums
Yandy Martínez bass
Jorge Chicoy guitar
Javier Zalba sax, flute, clarinet
Sekou Kouyate kora
‘It’s a heartbeat for contemporary Afro-Cuban life.’ The Times
‘Fonseca is on a one-man mission to rescue Cuban music from its post-Buena Vista arthritic doldrums.’ FT
This Buena Vista Social Club prodigy and Havana Cultura star has grabbed Cuban music by the horns and drawn it, hot, stylish and sultry, into the 21st century. Roberto Fonseca’s new album, YO, is out this spring and looks back to his Caribbean roots while striking forwards with red-hot grooves, electronic beats and sensuous lyricism that effortlessly updates Cuba’s musical lineage.
Fonseca hits the road as the album is about to be released with a seven-date UK tour. The tour line-up features Fonseca on piano and keyboards, Baba Sissoko on African percussion, Joel Hierrezuelo on Cuban percussion, Ramsés Rodríguez on drums, Yandy Martínez on bass, Jorge Chicoy on guitar, Javier Zalba on sax, flute and clarinet and Sekou Kouyate on kora. This group is the sound of things to come in Afro-Cuban music, and with Roberto Fonseca at the helm, it is sure to be one of the live shows to catch in 2012.
‘His piano playing is muscular and quicksilver, percussively rhythmic and floatingly melodic.’ London Evening Standard
‘His latest collection of originals features his knockout touring band and guest vocalists, but remains steeped in the razor-sharp rhythms and sultry emotions of Cuban musical tradition.’
The Financial Times
Opening for Roberto on this Black Routes tour is Ayanna, the first non-American to win the legendary Amateur Night Live at the Harlem Apollo, whose beguiling vocals skip and swing over intimate, honey-sweet cello. Her music was recently celebrated in an evening devoted to her work at the Kings Place Festival in London, and last year she was commissioned to write a new piece for the Bath Festival, following residencies at Wigmore Hall and Aldeburgh. She’s just finished a UK tour with Natty and recording in New York with Kronos Quartet, which neatly captures her full range.
‘Ayanna has to be heard to be believed.’ Time Out
Roberto Fonseca’s new album, ‘YO’, is released early 2012. To listen to two new tracks from the forthcoming album please visit:
soundcloud.com/roberto_fonseca/80s-remix
soundcloud.com/roberto_fonseca/asi-es-la-vida
‘Confirmation that the 36-year-old Cuban pianist is one of the most gifted, adventurous spirits of his generation … by turns playful and passionate, YO boasts poise and experimentation in equal measure.’ Observer
‘YO goes beyond the usual bounds of Afro-Cuban jazz with a mix of melodic and muscular tunes.’ The Times
‘Recognized as a major influence on modern Cuban jazz, and jazz in general, Roberto proves that his horizons are not limited by the subtleties of jazz, nor to just the Caribbean. An epic at the crossroads of jazz, traditional music and soul; a crossing of both sides of the shores of the Atlantic; an album which presents a new artist, not because he has changed but because his art still contains many surprises.’ All About Jazz
Promoted by St George’s Bristol.