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Julio Barreto
(July 2005 Issue)
Mountain Moving TimeFidel Castro may have
squandered what many consider the best
of Cuba. But he also developed
exceptional arts institutions, which, even today, continue to nurture
amazing talents. Among
them, is Latin drumset king Horacio "El Negro"
Hernandez.
Hernandez honed some of his formidable chops with
keyboardist Gonzalo
Rubalcaba. When "El Negro" departed, another stalwart time-dancer,
Julio Barreto, stepped up. With the
release of Iyab', his premiere album as bandleader, Barreto is destined to climb his own pinnacle of success.
Like Hernandez, Barreto eventually defected, and today lives in
Switzerland. The drummer formed his own ensemble
in '97, comprised of
Cuban expatriates in Europe. He describes Iyab'
as "The fusion between Afro-Cuban
and jazz-rock." The album dances
joyously on the virtuoso edge. "Songs like "Cantar Bueo" are
traditional rumba with modern
elements," Julio explains. "In "donna
Lee," I tried to retain its essential bebop character, but with an
Afro-Cuban atmosphere."
Barreto took only six months to compose,
rehearse, and record Iyab'. Which makes it - and him - all that more
extraordinary. (Iyab' is available through Connector Music, www.efa-medien.de.)
Robert Kaye
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