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YISSY & Bandancha – Mr. Miller
The archetype of an Afro-Cuban jazz drummer would probably be Chano Pozo, the pioneering “conguero” whose influence on jazz was heard around the world. He wrote “Manteca” while he was with Dizzy Gillespie‘s band. He had forearms the size of tree trunks. He died in 1948.
Somewhere near the opposite end of this spectrum, in the small Havana flat she shares with her parents, siblings and grandmother, Yissy sits down behind a modern drum kit. That’s right: she’s not playing congas today. She’s not yet thirty years old, has the sinewy good looks of a supermodel, and plays as if she were already the legend she seems on her way to becoming.
Just home and giddy with joy after a tour in the United States — “the motherland of jazz!” —, where she was received with open arms, Yissy is excited about the upcoming release of Última noticia, the album she recorded with her project, Bandancha, after a successful online crowdfunding campaign. Their unique concept? Making people dance with jazz and rejuvenating the genre by fusing it with rumba, reggae, funk and electronic music. She even added a DJ to the permanent line-up.
“A long time ago, I saw a concert by a pianist that I love, Herbie Hancock, and he had a DJ in his jazz format,” she recalls. “That had a great impact on me and I said to myself that I wanted to do the same when I had a band of my own.”
Born in the very musical neighborhood of Cayo Hueso, Yissy is the daughter of Bernando García, one of the founding members of the legendary Irakere orchestra. Following her father’s footsteps, however, was not in the cards for Yissy – who was enrolled in ballet lessons as a young child —, but rather for her brother. Call it irony of destiny, it was her sibling who became a dancer and Yissy took up the drums.
Collaboration comes naturally to Yissy, who has been involved with Maqueque – an all-female Afro-Cuban jazz ensemble put together by the Canadian soprano saxophone player Jane Bunnett — as well as Interactivo, the experimental band lead by pianist Roberto Carcassés. “I’m curious as a musician,” she says. “I find nourishment in the richness of other projects.” Her new album is no exception and she invited the likes of Danay Suárez, Yusa and Kelvis Ochoa to be part of the adventure.
At her drum set, Yissy lays down a solid clave pattern, a nod to the Yoruba percussive tradition that forms the basis for so much of Cuban music, but it’s only a point of departure for her. Yissy’s drumsticks hit altitude with a flourish that would make her stand out in any rock band. Then she cruises into a more relaxed series of bebop riffs that recall the playing of Kenny Clarke or Max Roach. If there’s anything Yissy can’t play, you’d never know it.
Move aside, Chano. There’s a new drummer in town and she’s ready to take on the world.
Relive the magnificent concert of Cuban pianist Chucho Valdés during the 2024 edition of Jazz à Vienne, in the ancient Roman theater [Théatre Antique] of Vienne
When it comes to ivory and ebony keys, competition is fierce in Cuba, but if there is one pianist who stands above the rest, it is the legendary Chucho Valdés, 82 years old, the “Cuban Mozart”, who from the age of 4 let his fingers run over the family piano and reproduced by ear the melodies he heard on the radio. From his youth on his native island, he has always retained an incredible sense of adaptation to all music, as comfortable when it comes to launching into wild jazz improvisations as when making crowds dance.
On July 10, 2024 at the Jazz à Vienne festival Chucho Valdés celebrated the 50th anniversary of Irakere, the group he founded that marked a before and after in Latin jazz. It was an extraordinary evening dedicated to Afro-Cuban music and jazz. Maestro Valdés was accompanied by a group embodying in all its diversity the essence of the popular and classical music of Cuba.
Chucho Valdés: piano, director
Ramón Álvarez: vocals
Luis Beltrán: alto saxophone
Carlos Averhoff Jr.: tenor saxophone
Eddy De Armas Jr.: trumpet
Osvaldo Fleites: trumpet
José Armando Gola: bass
Roberto Jr. Vizcaíno Torre: percussion
Horacio “El Negro” Hernández: drums
Vienne, Théatre Antique, Festival Jazz à Vienne, France – 10 July 2024
Jonathan Powell’s Mambo Jazz Party showcases his 20-year career as a trumpeter in NYC’s salsa and Latin jazz scene. As a former member of Eddie Palmieri’s groups and collaborator with Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, Miguel Zenon, Tito Puente Jr., and many others, Powell’s love for the genre is evident. Mambo Jazz Party features top talents, including trombonist Jimmy Bosch, Grammy-nominated pianist Manuel Valera, and flutist Itai Kriss. With members like trombonist Ryan Keberle, drummer Camilo Molina, and bassist Alex Apolo Ayala, the ensemble promises dynamic performances. Their debut self-titled album is set for release on Circle 9 Records on August 9, 2024.
Featuring
Jonathan Powell – Trumpet, bandleader
Itai Kriss – Flute
Jeremy Powell – Tenor sax
Remy Le Boeuf – Alto and baritone sax
Jimmy Bosch – Trombone
Ryan Keberle – Trombone
Manuel Valera – Piano and keyboards
Alex Apolo Ayala – Bass
Camilo Molina – Drums and percussion
Marcos Torres – Congas
Songs
00:40 – Juancito
13:23 – Connection
20:47 – Love Song
31:04 – Outnumbered
38:26 – United
46:30 – Our Life
58:16 – When I’m With You
01:09:32 – Shade of Jade
This performance and new work by Jonathan Powell and Mambo Jazz Party has been made possible with support from Chamber Music America’s New Jazz Works program funded through the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
Production
Lead Audio Engineer: Klaus Larson
Video Engineering: Mark Montour-Larson & Alec Kenefick
Hosted by: Geoff Anderson
KUVO Program Director: Shane German
Booking: Domi Edson
Recorded in the Bonfils-Stanton Performance Studio in Denver, CO
“Tatomania” celebrates the brilliance of Roberto Jr. Vizcaíno from the Royal Quartet, the son of master percussionist Roberto Vizcaíno — who represents a new generation of Cuban percussion greats. Known to Valdés as “Tato” since he was a kid — Valdés performed with his father over the decades — Roberto Jr. shines with a fiery symphony of congas alongside Valdés’ melodic comping and air-tight pocket of the band on. Valdés comments, “Every party in Cuba ends with the conga. Once the congas ignite, we all dance together.”
Acclaimed living legend of Afro-Cuban music, seven-time GRAMMY Award winner and six-time Latin GRAMMY Award winner Chucho Valdés celebrates his lauded 60-year recording career with an instant-classic, Cuba & Beyond, set for release on Friday, September 20, 2024. Valdés is the preeminent composer/pianist of modern Afro-Cuban jazz with international acclaim to his name for deftly fusing the music of his homeland with jazz, classical music, dance music, and rock. His renowned career includes seven albums on Blue Note Records (1991-2003), a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, and being an inductee into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame. On Cuba & Beyond, Valdés composes yet another masterpiece featuring his electrifying Royal Quartet as he carries his legacy forward with a world-class catalog of recordings.
With nearly 30 albums, Valdés remains ever-young at heart while composing an array of his greatest works yet. On Cuba & Beyond, Valdés performs with his electrifying Royal Quartet featuring Horacio El Negro Hernández (drums), José Armando Gola (bass), and Roberto Jr. Vizcaíno (percussion).
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