Danzon De Moises
The Cuban-born percussionist Roberto Juan Rodriguez plays with such varied acts asMarc Ribot's Los Cubanos Postizos,Julio Iglesias,Miami Sound Machine,Joe Jackson, andJohn Zorn. But it's his background in Cuba's small Jewish community that is the inspiration forEl Danzon de Moises, an outstanding amalgamation of traditional Cuban and Jewish music. Leading a dozen of New York's downtown finest (including clarinetistDavid Krakauer, percussionistSusie Ibarra, and bassistBrad Jones), Rodriguez has composed and arranged an album that adeptly captures the wailing clarinet and Eastern European rhythms of klezmer, and seamlessly fuses them with the shimmying sway of Cubansonand the percolating fire of Afro-Cuban percussion. Ostensibly, this seemingly incongruous fusion would play best (or perhaps get the most resistance) in Miami Beach or New York City because of their large Latin and Jewish populations, but the beautiful and reverential songs will appeal to anyone open to musical possibilities. This album realizes the unique vision of a talented musician.--Tad Hendrickson