Marialy Pacheco Trio & WDR Funkhausorchester - Danzón Cubano (2019) [Hi-Res]

It's a bit like when aspiration and entertainment merge; a metaphorical marriage between serious music and music of entertainment - but which is which? "Danzón Cubano" is a blend of Marialy Pacheco on the grand piano along with her fellow musicians Juan Camilo Villa on bass and Rodrigo Villalón on the drums and as “special guest” Joo Kraus on the one hand, and the WDR Funkhausorchester, conducted by Gordon Hamilton, on the other.

With this combination, Marialy Pacheco playfully and expertly climbs new musical heights; reaches a new world; a new mix; a dance of sound between Cuban and classical music. In doing so, the fiery solo pianist and polyphonic orchestra play together and allow completely new experiences to be felt with each piece, rather than alternating between one another.

Above all, they are playing for the big audience. Melodies glisten, waves of harmonies explode; and suddenly all of our senses are awoken.

This is what happened in 2017 at the International Jazz Festival in Viersen. Before the concert, one may have been wondering: is the trio of the Cuban pianist Marialy Pacheco really going to play with the WDR Funkhausorchester at a jazz festival?! How is that going to work and how will that sound? All of these questions were answered directly at the start of the concert. With Baby Steps First, composed by conductor Gordon Hamilton and inspired by John Coltrane's jazz classic Giant Steps, the orchestra kicks off with a jazzy prelude and spreads its wings into different music genres: the perfect introduction.

And then she comes: Marialy Pacheco. She brings music from her Cuban roots, from Central America and her own compositions which she arranged for the orchestra together with Hamilton. Her traditional melodies immediately hit the spot with the audience, along with variations, improvisations and a mesmerising interplay with her trio partners, Juan Camilo Villa and Rodrigo Villalón, who put even the most subtle of musical signals from their band leader into action.

All in all: music with mainstream potential but without the risk of ever becoming a bore. The rich sound and hot rhythm are enough to make seating at concerts seem absurd. "Danzón Cubano" becomes an experience; not just for the concert pros but also for the unbiased listener. This is a magnificent album full of energy which you can easily keep up with and in which brilliance is maintained in every single beat.