Search - Elio Villafranca :: Incantations - Encantaciones

Bumper crop continues . . .

Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 03/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

". . . and this may be the best of the lot of some truly amazing jazz releases during the first quarter of 2003. Hard to imagine, coming on the invisible Latin/jazz-oriented label, Pimienta Records, and in the face of such monster discs as These Are the Vistas by The Bad Plus, Freak In by Dave Douglass, Vertical Vision by Christian McBride, Grand Unification Theory by Stefon Harris, Smile by Jackie Terrasson, Malicool by Roswell Rudd, and Standards of Language by Kenny Garrett. But trust me, this is the real deal.First off, it's got this incredibly deep Afro-Cuban groove. Second, this young piano maestro has assembled an absolutely killer band featuring Jane "Habana Juana" Bunnett on soprano sax and flute, Terrell Stafford, late of Bobby Watson's ultimate post-bop band, Horizon, on trumpet, Dafnis "Deep Groove" Prieto on drums, and Carlos Hernandez, a name new to me, on bass. The ringer is Pat Martino, who guests on guitar on three cuts. I wouldn't've thought of Mr. Martino in this context, but he seems perfectly acclimated to the proceedings and brings a bloozy element that adds backbone.Third, Villafranca has chops to burn, and he knows precisely when to let go. Check out his outro on "You Spoke too Soon."Fourth, he's got a glorious romantic streak that comes most fully to the fore on "Something Nice to Say About You." This number, a piano and flugelhorn duet, is for me the high point of the disc. Stafford really shines with a deeply burnished solo backed by the perfect comping from Villafranca. When the pianist's turn comes, he turns in a surprisingly lush yet musically rigorous solo.Fifth, Villafranca proves to be a suprisingly mature and fluid composer. All but two of the selections are his, and several make a deep impression. All in all, this guy's the whole package--monster keysman, brilliant composer, mature bandleader. Amazingly, this marks the third absolutely brilliant Cuban release this quarter, Mambo Sinuendo by Ry Cooder and Manuel Galban and Cuban Odyssey by Jane Bunnett being the others."