mp3 / 192 / 95mb / rs / rel. 2001
Beautiful Music Beautifully Played - Sublime Musicality!
"Nocturne" is an outstanding album of largely traditional Cuban and Mexican themes allied to great levels of musicality with strong production values. As the title suggests the music is generally down-tempo and lyrical and uses the jazz idiom but heavily infused with a voluptuous latin warmth. The two prime movers behind this exceptional undertaking are the Cuban Gonzalo Rubalcabo, piano, and Charlie Haden, double bass. In addition other musicians are brought in to play on several tracks each, Joe Lovano, Pat Metheny, David Sanchez and the violinist Federico Britos Ruiz.
Even given the strong material and outstanding musicians, the results surpass all expectations. This is largely due to Haden's musical manifesto which is to focus on expression as opposed to flashy technicalities. To say that he succeeds here is something of an understatement. Each instrument is perfectly placed in the arrangements and is sympathetic to the material. Of particular note is the use of Ruiz's violin which deserves a special mention for its lyrical phrasing. Overall, the lush fullness of the sound and the perfectly measured pace of the music create a vivid ambience.
This is an album where the musicians play so well together there is a rare magic in the result. The production is so charged and atmospheric that the emotion is almost tangible. What creates this effect is the way in which the musicians express the music together so beautifully, particularly Haden, Lovano and Ruiz. Their shared appreciation of the music and each other's skills has allowed this group of musicians to create something utterly sublime which transcends genres. I'm beginning to run out of superlatives here so to wrap up I'll leave you with one last thought: Check out how many five-star reviews there are here for this disc - have you ever seen such a level of unanimity for any other review? No? Then do yourself a favour and buy this very special disc! "- an amazon review
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