PAQUITO D´RIVERA: La Havana-Rio Conexion

PAQUITO D´RIVERA
Meu querido amigo Paquito, uma das pessoas mais afáveis, carinhosas, simpáticas e
generosas que conheço, dispensa apresentação...
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PAQUITO D´RIVERA
Desde que era apenas un niño, Paquito D’Rivera ha estado vinculado a la música.
Considerado un niño prodigio, logró tocar clarinete y saxofón con la Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Cuba desde temprana edad. Posteriormente fue fundador de la Orquesta Cubana de Música Moderna e Irakere, grupo con una explosiva mezcla de jazz, rock y música cubana clásica y tradicional. En 1981, Estados Unidos concedió asilo político a D’Rivera. Comenzó así una nueva etapa en su extraordinaria carrera musical con grupos como Triángulo, la Paquito D’Rivera Big Band y el Paquito D’Rivera Quintet, con los cuales ha dado la vuelta al mundo. En el ámbito de la música clásica, Paquito ha tocado con la Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Estados Unidos, la Brooklyn Philarmonic, la London Philarmonic, la Orchestra of St. Lukes, el Bronx Arts Ensemble, la Florida Philarmonic, la Orquesta Filarmónica de Costa Rica y la Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar, entre otras agrupaciones de relieve internacional. Paquito D’Rivera es uno de los músicos cubanos más importantes del siglo XX, pero en realidad le queda mucho por hacer en el nacimiento de este siglo XXI.
(Review by Contacto Magazine, edited by CB)
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ALBUM REVIEW
La Habana: Rio Conexion is saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera's attempt to bring the gospel of historical bolero to American listeners. These 12 cuts are steeped in the grand Cuban tradition and reinsert its cultural and historical center into a music that has been watered down to the point of being nondescript. But, of course, this is also a jazz recording, and D'Rivera is a jazz musician. The rhythmic and harmonic extrapolations are minimal, however, and focus on the integral form of the music whether it be the album's opening danza, Ernesto Lecuona's "La Comparsa," or the chorinho that closes the proceedings, Pixinguinha's "Segura Ele." In between are wonderfully romantic boleros, ballads of almost unbearable longing. D'Rivera surrounds himself with brilliant players, such as Danílo Perez, Fareed Haque, Pablo Zinger, Johnny Rodriguez, Claudio Roditi, and Jose Madera, to name a few. He also employs a full string section on many tunes. These range from sextets with strings to simple trio pieces, all of them having in common the form of the bolero as it
migrated from Havana to Rio and interacted with samba. D'Rivera performs tunes by
everyone from Ivan Lins to the great Cuban composers Ignacio Cervantes and Portillo de la Luz. This is an unabashedly romantic recording, which nonetheless possesses serious chops and killer arrangements by the late Chico O'Farrill, Pablo Zinger, and Carlos Franzetti.
Highly recommended.
~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
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MINHA OPINIÃO: com esse "timaço" de arranjadores e músicos, mais o "toque de Midas"
de Paquito, só pode ser...OURO EM PÓ!
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PAQUITO D´RIVERA: La Havana-Rio Conexion

PERSONNEL:
Paquito d'Rivera - (Clarinet, Flute, Sax Alto, Sax Soprano, Sax Tenor)
Claudio Roditi (Trumpet/Soloist)
Romero Lubambo (Guitar)
Fareed Haque (Guitar)
Carlos Franzetti (Piano/Keyboards)
Daniel Freiberg (Piano)
Pablo Zinger (Piano)
Danilo Perez (Piano)
Al Brown (Violin/Viola)
Sanford Allen (Violin)
Bob Chausow (Violin)
Ik-Hwan Bae (Violin)
Joel Deroyin (Violin)
La Habana (Violin)
Elliott Rosoff (Violin)
Marti Sweet (Violin)
Joel Derouin (Violin)
Barry Finclair (Violin)
Juliet Haffner (Violin)
Juliet Haffner (Viola)
Regis Iandiorio (Violin)
Warren Lash (Cello)
Richard Locker (Cello)
David Finck (Bass/Double Bass/Contrabass)
William Ellison (Bass/Accoustic Bass
Mark Walker (Drums)
Zach Danziger (Drums)
Jose Madera (Percussion)
Giovanni Hidalgo (Percussion)
Johnny Rodriguez (Percussion)

ARRANGERS:
Paquito D´Rivera
Chico O`Farril
Carlos Franzetti
Pablo Zinger

ORCHESTRA CONDUCTED by Paquito D´Rivera

TRACKS/FAIXAS:
La Comparsa
Cancáo De Noite
Danzas Cubanas
A Los Tres Golpes, Invitación
Noche Cubana
Contigo En La Distancia
Canción Simple
Como Un Milagro
Impressions From Tiem.An-Men Square
No Puedo Ser Feliz
Como Fue
Ciego Reto
Segura Ele