The Suba Trio—Omar Sosa from Cuba (keyboards), Seckou Keita from Senegal (kora), and Gustavo Ovalles from Venezuela (percussion)—rolls into the Outpost for a two-night stand, riding on the wings of their second and profoundly beautiful album, Suba, the word for “dawn” in Keita’s native Mandinka language. They are on a mission.
While on tour in East Africa in 2009, pianist/composer Omar Sosa embarked on a musical safari, equipped not with a rifle, but with mobile recording equipment (and a very able sound engineer, Patrick Destandeau), a love of African musical cultures, and a vast imagination. Now, 12 years later, Sosa releases An East African Journey (available March 5), which combines exquisite recordings of traditional musicians with augmentations from Sosa and colleagues—the latest chapter in Sosa’s long-standing fascination with blending the folkloric and the modern, the acoustic and the electronic.
A few more quick takes on recent releases. Here are three—from Myra Melford’s Snowy Egret quintet, Omar Sosa and Yilian Cañizares, and Javon Jackson—that live in completely different musical universes.
I’ll be guesting on Patti Littlefield’s jazz show on KUNM on Wednesday, November 21, from noon to 1:30 p.m. MT. We’ll be playing a selection from each of these albums and several others. Tune in at 89.9 FM or stream at KUNM.org. Continue reading
Cuban pianist/composer/shaman Omar Sosa has once again teamed up with arranger Jaques Morelenbaum and the formidable NDR Bigband to project his compositions on a wide orchestral screen, and Kit Downes plumbs the orchestral capabilities of three pipe organs on a spacey collection of improvisational performances. Continue reading
Omar Sosa
Back in 2004, when Cuban pianist and composer Omar Sosa released his masterwork, Mulatos, I described him as the otic equivalent of the Very Large Array, and as the years have progressed, his ears have only gotten bigger. They suck in electronic and acoustic sounds from North and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, Arabia, and Asia, which he weaves into organic sonic tapestries on the warp of Afro-Cuban–inflected jazz, often in collaboration with artists from around the world.
This week he brings his Quarteto AfroCubano—his musical home base, if you will, featuring Cuban saxophonist Leandro Saint-Hill, Mozambican electric bassist Childo Tomas, and Cuban drummer Raul Pineda—to the Outpost. I had the opportunity to interview him a couple of weeks ago. His positive energy is infectious, both on the phone and at the piano. He spoke with great animation and frequent laughter on topics ranging from his musical mission to his latest recording (the sublime Transparent Water, reviewed here) to the profound influence of Thelonious Monk.
Our edited conversation, along with details about the upcoming concert, follows. Continue reading