12 November 2011
Newsdesk
Continuing his longstanding love affair with Cuba and its musical melting pot, globetrotting DJ / broadcaster Gilles Peterson is back with a new chapter in his Havana Cultura album series – producing an original studio album on CD01 and lovingly curating a compilation of new Cuban talent on CD02.
Back in 2009 Gilles teamed up with the award-winning Cuban jazz pianist Roberto Fonseca to find the very best up and coming musical talent in Havana. ‘Havana Cultura: New Cuba Sound’ represented the biggest collection of contemporary Cuban musicians in a single musical initiative since the highly acclaimed Buena Vista Social Club project in 1997. With Peterson at the helm, the double CD album was a celebration of Cuba’s brightest musical talent spanning Latin, Afro jazz and fusion to hip-hop, funk, reggaeton and soul. CD01 found Gilles in uncharted territory, revelling in the role of Producer. A whirlwind ride across the Cuban spectrum from rumba to reggaeton, the band jammed out certified Cuban classics (‘Chekere Son’, ‘Pa’Gozar’); embraced deep, spiritual jazz vibes (‘Rezando’); and celebrated the Afro-Cuban connection (via Fela Kuti’s ‘Roforofo Fight’). The second disc showcased Gilles in his more customary role as a selector, dipping his toe into the cacophony of rhythms and rhymes reverberating up and down the streets of Havana.
“Having spent the last three years travelling regularly to Havana I've understandably become more attached to this fascinating, almost otherworldly city. I'm also slowly getting to grips with the relationship music has here with the spirits and its people... the drum goes deep.”
Gilles Peterson
Free download available at the Havana Cultura Site.
http://www.havana-cultura.com/en/int/gilles-peterson/cuban-music/havana-cultura-the-search-continues
