Product Description

Paquito D Rivera introduces, Paquito Records, with the premier release of Paquito D Rivera Quintet? Funk Tango. With over 50 recordings in the varied musical styles that he loves to perform and create, Paquito finally has a label where he can be himself. Paquito Records. With Paquito D Rivera Quintet? Funk Tango an allegory to the fact that his quintet can sometimes be a trio or a sextet, or an orchestra, or a duo, he is joined by his trusted core musicians, some of which have been with him for almost 20 years. These are, Mark Walker on drums, Oscar Stagnaro on bass, Diego Urcola on trumpet and valve-trombone, Alon Yavnai, on piano, Pernell Saturnino on percussion and Hector Del Curto on Bandoneon, with additional pianists Ed Simon, (an old band member), and Fernando Otero, and newcomer Pablo Stagnaro on cajon.
This recording features original compositions from practically all the band members, and highlights the diversity of styles in composition as well as performance. You will surely enjoy a journey, from a funky tango, as the title suggest, to Peruvian rhythms on Mariela s Dream to the elegant Cuban Contradanza , by the way of a bolero, to a waltz, samba, milonga, to the final return of the jazz standard Giant Steps .

Track Listing

1. Pere
2. What About That!
3. Revirado
4. Contradanza
5. Milongo
6. Final Waltz
7. Funk Tango
8. Mariela's Dream
9. La Yumba-Caravan
10. Como un Bolero
11. Giant Steps

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #32153 in Music
• Released on: 2007-05-22
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Review
Alto saxophonist and clarinetist D'Rivera is hard bop's pan-American ambassador at large. Long a master of his native Cuba's rich musical heritage and a disciple of bebop, D'Rivera showcases styles from one end of the Americas to the other on his latest album, with an emphasis on tango.

The band negotiates Astor Piazzolla's complex "Revirado" with the requisite relaxed precision, then D'Rivera opens it up to bop harmonies and phrasings that cast new light on the nuevo tango classic. The title track is a slinky fusion of Argentine and African-American musics that zips along at an exhilaratingly caffeinated tempo. Juan Tizol's Ellingtonian chestnut "Caravan" is recast as a tango, with the band slipping gracefully among several tempos and rhythms.

D'Rivera works with a rotating cast of pianists, and his duet with Alon Yavnai on "Contradanza" is both charming and virtuosic. "Pere" jumps out of the gate at a gallop, with long springing eighth-note phrases that spur both pianist (and composer) Ed Simon and D'Rivera into fast and furious solos. Trumpeter Diego Urcola makes his recording debut on valve trombone and the chestier, mellower sound of the instrument suits his lyrical style beautifully on "Final Waltz" and "Como un Bolero," a luscious Afro-Cuban ballad. At one point during his clarinet solo on the joyful samba "What About That!" D'Rivera quotes "Fascinating Rhythm." That pretty much sums up this album.
- Ed Hazell --Jazziz - Sept. 2007

Customer Reviews

Intriguing.
The Cuban saxman/clarinetist still has enough room to say what needs to be said.

He is is such a compelling improviser and his latest album "Funk Tango" is another prove of his skills.

D'Rivera approaches tango from an instrumental jazz perspective, making his way to Buenos Aires by way of a grooved-up rhythm section.

This is jazz with both Afro-Cuban and Brazilian jazz and bebop, but it's jazz first and foremost.

The most obvious stylistic debt is unsurprisingly owed to Astor Piazzolla's "Milonga 10".

Here he is joined by pianists Alon Yavnai, Ed Simon and Fernando Otero, electric bassist Oscar Stagnaro, drummer Mark Walker and trumpeter Diego Urcola.

What is most impressive about this beguiling and intensely listenable album is the ease and naturalness with which D'Rivera and his quintet fit into the proceedings.

Paquito's soprano contribution to the slow-burning "Revirado", for instance, is simply sublime, his tone pure and keening, taking jazz in with tango rhythms to great effect, proving again just how adaptable and powerful a player he is.

Paquito and friends continue to mine a wonderfully rich seam of music, and his choice and use of 'jazz' partners on this attractive album has paid rich dividends : a Grammy !

an excellent recording
I saw Paquito D'Rivera's quintet in concert at Madison, Wisconsin last night, November 17, 2007. I completely enjoyed the performance and I recollect that all the selections played except one (To Brenda my love from Tico Tico) came from this recording. All the players in the quintet were virtuosos. But the performance succeeded because of the good balance of structure and improvisation. The ensemble playing was well-executed. Nice melodies.
This recording, which I had not heard until the drive home after the show, is even better than the live performance as it greatly benefits from the contributions of some invited players, specifically the conguero and the bandoneon.
After the concert, more than 100 people lined up for Paquito's autograph on their disc. I thought it was a fine show and that sentiment appeared to be universal. I look forward to seeing this group again.

Paquito does it, as usual
This album is the culmination of Paquito D'Rivera's career until now. I have always been a hug fan of Paquito, his alto style is very unique. He has so many recordings under his belt, it is difficult to keep track of them all. For this album I believe he won a Grammy? It is well-deserved for a man who has been devoted to jazz and latin music for his entire life. And the thing is that he never gets older. He surrounds himself with great musicians, young and old, and he still plays with the same fire and intensity as 20 years ago. This man is a great example to the current generation of musicians. Bravo!