Search - Chucho Valdes :: Invitacion

Viva Chucho!

Chuck Potocki | Highland, Indiana | 07/23/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"OK, my Spanish isn't so "caliente" (um, hot...), but this album certainly is! "Invitacion" was first released in 1986 & issued with a different album cover design, with this version reissued in 2000 & containing the album cover featured here.



My first introduction to Jesus "Chucho" Valdes was on the compilation CD "Cuban Lullaby", which my wife bought for our son when he was a baby. The instrumental track "Berceuse" (meaning "lullaby" in French) is a solo piano piece taken from "Invitacion" & featured on the "Cuban Lullaby" CD, and I absolutely fell in love with it, as did our son!



Valdes' playing is a dazzling combination of grandeur, elegance & subtlety, and "Berceuse" is well worth the price of this CD alone. Its' gorgeous melody will bring you to tears immediately, and in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard; not just for the piano, but for all genres & instruments. The only song on "Invitacion" that I don't really care for is the sprawling title track, a 16-minute excursion into fusion territory, complete with electronic drums & synthesized keyboards. This sounds completely out of place & is a bit jarring to listen to following the acoustic piano pieces which comprise the majority of the album."