By Raul Da Gama
The cuatro Cubano of Kiki Valera ripples over the opening phrase of Este Vacilón on this ever so magical music of Vacilón Santiaguero. We are plunged into sound-world of the ineffably brilliant Kiki Valera leading the musicians of his Son Cubano ensemble, while the trumpet of Alexis Baró gives a searing, yearning, wavering cry and immediately we are plunged into the world of Mr Valera’s world. Now it’s just a question of how fully and deeply these performers can inhabit it.
So be in no doubt, there is some stellar playing on this disc across the spectrum of melodic, harmonic and rhythmic instruments. It begins with Mr Valera, who comes wit the erudition immersed in the tradition of the celebrated La Familia Valera Miranda septet, a multi-generational traditional music group from Santiago de Cuba.