Pianist and composer Manuel Valera gleaned well from his days with Arturo Sandoval and Paquito D’Rivera, creating an album with a vibrant and extroverted big band featuring vocalists Sofia Rei and Camila Meza. The songs are themed around writings of Cuban poet Jose’ Marti’, based on his “”Vesos Sencillos”.
The sole instrumental, “El Enemigo Brutal”, mixes electric guitar and moody synthesizers through a thoughtful and complex we, with some nice electric bass lines . Lovely and rich voices work around a bold brass and wondrous flute over the pulsating “Odio La Mascara Y El Vicio” and melancholic “Es Rubia, El Caballo Suetto” with some stunning trumpet solos. The rhythm team struts cheerfully over the upbeat “Tiene El Leopardo Un Abrigo” and the leader is nimble on the post bopping “Si Quiere Que De Este Mundo”. The mix of salsa and modern jazz with passionate lyrics makes for a tasty treat.