The first thing that becomes obvious about Alex Díaz’s beguilingly titled album, Number Seven is that its music is extremely forthright. A number of factors go into suggesting this. First: the album is unusually well-rehearsed and as a result the various players seem to function like proverbial cogs in a giant machine that works like clockwork. But this is no ordinary clockwork. It is like the legendary clockwork of a Swiss timepiece—elegant, precise, posh and expensive. This points to the players, who number stellar players that make up a celebrated marque. The bassist is the itinerant Rubén Rodriguez, a player that is blessed with a plump and joyful tone; who plays in wonderfully dancing circles whenever he is called upon to play. Mr. Rodríguez shares the bass chair with the ever-masterful John Benítez, a musician who has graced a host of superb albums in the Latin Jazz milieu. The second lead voice is certainly Iván Renta, one of the most powerful voices on woodwinds to come out of Puerto Rico. Then there is Mike Eckroth, a pianist of exceptional talent, so much so that he is able to adapt his playing to a number of musical idioms, something not many musicians are capable of. He shares his piano stool with another rising star: Yeisson Villamer. And that is only a part of the musical story that unfolds on this recording.
The main part of the narrative is, of course, Alex Díaz, the Dominican Republic-born, New York-based conguero, who has been active on the Latin Jazz scene for a long number of years. Mr. Díaz is a wonderful rhythmist. He is stylish to the point of being hip. His attack is angular and authoritative. He is also painterly in his approach and he seems to have expanded the colours of the palette from which he is able to pick a host of them—all rustic and shades of brown and golds that dapple the rhythmic landscape which he inhabits. “Cuban Chant” is a fine example of this intuitive artistic sleight of hand as is “Otra Vez,” where he is found to be in a contrapuntal mode, cleverly varied when he plays behind the trombone, which is followed by the tenor saxophone. This subtle variation in rhythmic colours shows that Mr. Díaz is far from predictable when he plays in the ensemble. He is, of course, infinitely more varied in his approach when he solos. No two independent sojourns are alike and this culminates in a magnificent opening to “Descarga Ayala,” which only deepens as the music progresses. This fine form continues through “Firm Roots” as well.
The repertoire on this recording is also somewhat varied, even if it is largely Latin Jazz metaphorically. There is also some music that is rich in the Afro-Cuban tradition, such as “Son Pa Bani.” Then things take a surprising turn in the form of “Theme for Jobim,” in an exquisite Brasilian idiom. But the most wonderful aspect of the album—apart from Mr. Díaz’s playing that is—is the superb voice of Iván Renta. This is a big aspect of the music of the recording. Mr. Renta plays with enormous passion and adds a whole new palette as well as timbre to the project. His wonderful work with the alto, tenor and baritone—on “Descarga Ayala”—is one of the highlights of this album that will be remembered for its originality and wonderful array of voices as well.
Track List: Kabiosile; Things To Come; Blues Para Chano; El Tamal; Fly With The Wind; Cubano Chant; Otra Vez; Descarga Ayala; Firm Roots; Son Pa Bani; Theme For Jobim; Una Mas.
Personnel: Alex Díaz: congas, tambora; Mike Eckroth: piano (1 – 4, 8, 9, 12); Yeisson Villamer: piano (5 – 7, 10, 11); Rubén Rodríguez: bass (1 – 4, 8, 9, 12); John Benítez: bass (5 – 7, 10, 11); Luis Bonilla: trombone (6, 7); Nelson “Gazu” Jaime: trumpet (1, 2, 4, 8, 10); Diego López: drums; Iván Renta: alto, tenor and baritone saxophones; José Dávila: trombone (1, 4, 8); Isidoro Bobadilla: tambora, percussion (5, 10); Frankie “Mr. Estilo” Figueroa: vocals (4, 10); Juan “Kuki” Mora: tambora, guïra (2, 9).
Alex Díaz was born in Bani, Dominican Republic. At the age of 16 he already played with Los Juveniles del Sabor, a band that highlighted Rubby Perez and Aramis Camilo. In 1980 he moved to NY where he joined the band of Hilton Ruíz, quickly becoming one of the best conga players in the city. This resulted in invitations to play with Tito Puente, José Fajardo, Chucho Valdés, Mario Bauza and his Afro-Cuban Band, Dizzy Gillespie and the United Nations Orchestra, Xavier Cugat, Celia Cruz, Alfredo ¨Chocolate Armenteros¨ and Mario Rivera.
Heir to the concept of Jazz Merengue from his mentor – Mario Rivera ¨El Comandante¨. His musical projects ¨Son de la Calle¨ and ¨The Bebop Boogaloo Kings¨ continue to make exquisite fusions of well-known traditional Jazz Standards with the Dominican Merengue, as well as own compositions and arrangements. In September 2011 they released the CD: Alex Díaz & his Merengue Jazz – Beyond 145th Street. And now are releasing the newest and best production – Alex Díaz – Number Seven!!!
The career of this Banilejo is long, he has played and will continue playing with the greats of Jazz. He has played in many settings, including: Bern Jazz Festival 2005 – Bern, Switzerland, the inaugural version of The South Florida Dominican Jazz Fest y in the Dominican Republic in many venues, such as: Jazz en Dominicana en Casa de Teatro; Fiesta Sunset Jazz; Jazz Picante en La Cantina, Centro Leon and Las Terrenas Jazz Festival 2011. His discography includes the following as band leader: Sitting Bull Dance; Alex Díaz & The Bebop Boogaloo Kings; Alex Díaz y Son de la Calle – Black Jazz; Alex Díaz y Son de la Calle – En Vivo; Alex Díaz y Son de la Calle – Merengue Jazz King – Homenaje a Mario Rivera; y, Alex Díaz y su Merengue Jazz – Beyond 145th Street, and now Alex Díaz – Number Seven.
The Dominican Conga player has played with a ¨who´s who¨ of Jazz and Latin Music, amongst others: Tito Puente, Mario Rivera, Mario Bauzá, Dizzy Gillespie and many more. His format results in a fine and elegant marriage of jazz, latin jazz and Dominican rhythms, such as merengue, palo and gaga, amongst others. His latest album – Beyond 145th Street – was chosen as one of the best 12 World Music Albums of 2012 by worldmusic.com – An all star band of Latin Jazz players from New York: bassist Rubén Rodríguez, drummer Diego López, pianist Mike Eckroth, trumpeteer Nelson ¨Gazu¨ Jaime and saxophone player Iván Renta accompany Alex.
Based in Milton, Ontario, Canada, Raul is a poet, musician and an accomplished critic whose profound analysis is reinforced by his deep understanding of music, technically as well as historically.
Jazz guitarist Roni Ben-Hur - Photo: www.ronibenhur.com
The title Abriendo Puertas—“Opening Doors”—captures the spirit of guitarist Roni Ben-Hur’s latest recording with unusual precision. Recorded in Havana with an accomplished group of Cuban musicians, the album is built not around the novelty of a visiting jazz guitarist encountering Cuban music, but around something more meaningful: musicians listening closely enough to find a common language.
Ben-Hur has spent much of his career moving naturally between musical worlds. Born in Israel to a Tunisian family and shaped professionally by New York’s jazz community, his playing draws from bebop, Brazilian music, Mediterranean traditions and Latin rhythms without sounding like a collection of influences. His years with pianist and mentor Barry Harris helped establish the melodic clarity, swing and understated sophistication that remain central to his guitar style. On Abriendo Puertas, those qualities fit remarkably well within a Cuban setting.
Roni Ben-Hur – Abriendo Puertas (cover art)
The key creative partner is pianist Alejandro Falcón, who contributes four of the seven compositions: the title track, “Gua’ One Blues Pal Bobby,” “Lo que es del César” and “El Teide.” Rather than treating Ben-Hur as a soloist placed in front of a Cuban rhythm section, Falcón helps create an ensemble language in which guitar and piano continuously exchange roles. Their compatibility is evident from the opening title track, where rhythmic momentum and lyrical improvisation develop patiently rather than through display.
“Gua’ One Blues Pal Bobby” pushes the conversation toward the blues while retaining a strong Cuban rhythmic identity. It is one of the album’s most spirited performances, illustrating how readily the vocabulary of jazz can coexist with the rhythmic imagination surrounding Ben-Hur in Havana. By the time the ensemble reaches “Lo que es del César” and “El Teide,” the distinction between guest and host has largely disappeared. What remains is a cohesive band responding to one another in real time.
The album’s romantic center comes through three classic Latin American songs. José Antonio Méndez’s “Mi Mejor Canción” brings the intimacy of the Cuban filin tradition into the program, while Osdalgia Lesmes appears on Isolina Carrillo’s “Dos Gardenias” and Armando Manzanero’s “Esta tarde vi llover.”
Lesmes brings warmth and emotional directness to both performances, and Ben-Hur proves once again what a sensitive accompanist he can be. His guitar surrounds the voice rather than competing with it, reflecting an approach he has developed through years of working with singers, including the late Brazilian vocalist Leny Andrade. Ben-Hur has spoken of the importance of leaving space for vocalists and allowing melody and lyric to remain at the center of an arrangement.
That same sense of space benefits the entire recording. Pedro Pablo Gutiérrez on acoustic bass, Ruy López-Nussa on drums and Octavio Rodríguez Rivera on percussion provide a foundation that is rhythmically rich without becoming overcrowded. Tenor saxophonist Emir Santa Cruz, featured on four tracks, adds another expressive voice and gives several performances a broader jazz-ensemble character.
Recorded at DBega Studios in Havana in November 2025, Abriendo Puertas is part of the Cuban Notes recording series co-produced by Ben-Hur and Dot Time Records founder Johanan “Jo” Bickhardt. Yet the album succeeds beyond the concept behind the series.
Its strength is ultimately found in the musicians themselves. Nobody appears interested in proving how effortlessly jazz and Cuban music can be combined. They simply play together until those distinctions become secondary.
For listeners who appreciate expressive jazz guitar, Cuban music and recordings where collaboration matters more than spectacle, Abriendo Puertas is easy to recommend. Warm, sophisticated and deeply conversational, it finds Roni Ben-Hur opening another musical door—and discovering an ensemble waiting on the other side.
Artist: Roni Ben-Hur Album: Abriendo Puertas Label: Dot Time Records Catalog: DT9192 Genre: Jazz / Latin Jazz Release Date: June 26, 2026 Recorded: November 2025 Studio: DBega Studios, Havana, Cuba Format: CD / Digital Program: 7 tracks, approximately 49 minutes.
The project is part of Cuban Notes, co-produced by Johanan “Jo” Bickhardt and Roni Ben-Hur. It follows Alejandro Falcón’s Falcón in Blue as the second album in the series.
Tracklist
1. Abriendo Puertas – Alejandro Falcón – 8:12 2. Mi Mejor Canción – José Antonio Méndez – 6:32 3. Dos Gardenias – Isolina Carrillo – 5:23 4. Gua’ One Blues Pal Bobby – Alejandro Falcón – 9:23 5. Esta tarde vi llover – Armando Manzanero – 5:56 6. Lo que es del César – Alejandro Falcón – 6:17 7. El Teide – Alejandro Falcón – 7:49
Personnel Credits
Roni Ben-Hur — guitar Alejandro Falcón — piano Pedro Pablo Gutiérrez — acoustic bass Ruy López-Nussa — drums Octavio Rodríguez Rivera — percussion Emir Santa Cruz — tenor saxophone, tracks 1, 4, 5 and 7 Osdalgia Lesmes — vocals, tracks 3 and 5
Production Credits
Executive Producer: Johanan “Jo” Bickhardt Co-Producer: Roni Ben-Hur Recorded at: DBega Studios, Havana Recording date: November 2025 Sound Engineer: Carlos D’Bega Label: Dot Time Records
There are comeback albums, and then there are records that seem to redraw an artist’s entire future. Cheo, the extraordinary 1971 solo debut by Puerto Rican singer José “Cheo” Feliciano, belongs firmly in the latter category. Fifty-five years after its original release on Vaya Records, the album returned to U.S. vinyl in 2026, offering a new generation the chance to encounter one of the defining recordings of salsa’s formative era.
Yet describing Cheo simply as a salsa classic understates its emotional and historical weight. This is a deeply personal record about renewal, vulnerability, romantic disappointment, cultural memory and artistic self-possession. It also documents one of Latin music’s great creative partnerships: Feliciano with Puerto Rican composer Catalino “Tite” Curet Alonso.
Before Cheo, Feliciano was already an admired sonero, having spent a decade with the Joe Cuba Sextet and later worked with Eddie Palmieri. Personal struggles eventually pulled him away from the musical scene. With Curet among those who supported his recovery, Feliciano returned in 1971 and launched the solo career that would establish him as one of salsa’s indispensable voices.
Cheo Feliciano – Cheo – Pack Shot Black
A Singer Who Never Needs to Oversing
The first thing that still impresses about Cheo is Feliciano himself. His baritone does not attack the music so much as inhabit it. There is warmth in the lower register, remarkable clarity in his phrasing and, above all, a conversational ease that separates him from more theatrical singers. He can stretch a phrase, turn a lyric toward the listener or slip into a sonero’s improvisational language without disturbing the shape of the song.
That restraint gives the album much of its emotional power. Cheo can project authority without shouting and heartbreak without melodrama. On Cheo, sentiment and swing are never opposing forces.
The opening “Anacaona” demonstrates that balance beautifully. Curet’s celebrated composition evokes the Taíno cacica Anacaona and transforms historical memory into a song of dignity and resistance. Cheo narrates rather than declaims, allowing the drama of Curet’s text and the momentum of the rhythm section to build naturally. The result is both memorable and deeply rooted in cultural identity.
Then comes “Pienso en ti,” one of Feliciano’s own compositions. The swagger recedes and his romantic side moves to the foreground. His gift as a bolero interpreter is already unmistakable: the emotional weight emerges through phrasing, timing and tone rather than excess.
Tite Curet Alonso and a Song Made to Measure
If Feliciano is the voice of Cheo, Tite Curet Alonso is its literary conscience. Curet wrote six of the album’s ten compositions, including “Anacaona,” “Pa’ que afinquen,” “Mi triste problema,” “Esto es el Guaguancó,” “Franqueza cruel” and “Mano caliente.” Their partnership feels especially intimate because Curet understood not only Cheo’s voice, but the emotional character behind it.
“Pa’ que afinquen” may be the clearest expression of that connection. Structured as a guajira, it functions almost as Feliciano’s statement of re-entry: Cheo is back, confident in who he is and ready to reclaim his place. There is pride in the performance, but remarkably little bombast. He does not need to announce his greatness; the assurance of the performance does it for him.
“Mi triste problema” turns in the opposite emotional direction. Curet gives Feliciano a vehicle for sorrow, and Cheo responds with one of the album’s finest examples of controlled vulnerability. “Franqueza cruel” similarly shows why romantic material became so essential to his identity. Even surrounded by dancers’ rhythms, he remains first and foremost a storyteller.
An Extraordinary Band—and an Unusual Sound
The personnel on Cheo reads like a condensed history of New York Latin music: Larry Harlow on piano, Bobby Valentín on bass, Louie Ramírez on vibraphone, Orestes Vilató on timbales, Johnny Rodríguez on bongos, Johnny Pacheco on congas and coro, Ismael Quintana on maracas and clave, Charlie Rodríguez on tres and Vinnie Bell on electric guitar. The coro includes Quintana, Justo Betancourt, Santos Colón and Pacheco, while Bobby Valentín and Nick Jiménez supplied the arrangements.
That instrumentation matters. Cheo is not dependent on the massed brass associated with so many classic salsa recordings. The absence of a conventional horn section creates a more transparent canvas. Harlow’s piano can breathe, Valentín’s bass gains greater melodic and rhythmic importance, and Charlie Rodríguez’s tres connects the session to the son tradition. Vinnie Bell’s guitar adds an unexpectedly modern colour.
Most distinctive of all is Louie Ramírez’s vibraphone. Its shimmer brings an almost jazz-combo luminosity to the ensemble, softening the edges without reducing the music’s rhythmic force. For jazz listeners, this is one of the album’s great attractions: the arrangements leave enough space to hear how piano, bass, vibes, tres, guitar and percussion interact.
From Guaguancó to the Romantic Cheo
“Esto es el Guaguancó” restores a harder rhythmic edge and celebrates the Afro-Cuban vocabulary embedded in the album. Cheo sounds completely at home above the percussion, interacting with the coro rather than simply singing in front of it.
Side B begins with another Feliciano original, “Si por mí llueve.” Like “Pienso en ti,” it reminds us that Cheo was not merely an interpreter’s showcase; Feliciano also contributed directly to the record’s compositional identity.
“Franqueza cruel” brings Curet’s romantic writing back into focus before “Mano caliente” returns the music to a more vigorous dance-floor pulse. “Medianoche y sol” and “Poema de otoño” complete an album whose sequence constantly negotiates between motion and introspection.
That contrast would become fundamental to Cheo Feliciano’s art. He could inhabit salsa, son, guajira and guaguancó while simultaneously possessing one of the great romantic voices of Caribbean popular music.
More Than a Comeback
What makes Cheo historically important is not only that Feliciano returned, but how completely he returned. The album became a cornerstone of his career and helped establish Curet Alonso as one of salsa’s defining songwriters. Their partnership would continue through later landmarks in Feliciano’s catalogue.
But historical importance alone does not explain why Cheo remains so compelling more than five decades later. The album survives because it still feels remarkably human. The arrangements have space, the rhythm section swings without overcrowding the singer, Curet’s writing combines social consciousness with emotional directness, and Feliciano sounds vulnerable and supremely assured at the same time.
The 2026 vinyl return invites renewed attention to the interaction of some extraordinary musicians and to a singer whose art depended as much on nuance as on power.
For salsa listeners, Cheo is essential. For collectors of the Fania era, it is foundational. And for jazz listeners willing to look beyond conventional genre boundaries, the rhythmic conversation, vibraphone textures, instrumental space and ensemble interplay make it equally rewarding.
Fifty-five years later, Cheo does not sound like a historical artifact. It sounds like the moment a great singer realized that his second act could become his defining one.
Cheo: Complete Tracklist
Side A
1. Anacaona 2. Pienso en ti 3. Pa’ que afinquen 4. Mi triste problema 5. Esto es el guaguancó
Side B
1. Si por mí llueve 2. Franqueza cruel 3. Mano caliente 4. Medianoche y sol 5. Poema de otoño
The track sequence is confirmed by both the original album documentation and the 2026 Craft Recordings release.
Personnel & Production Credits
Cheo Feliciano — lead vocals Johnny Pacheco — congas, chorus; recording director Larry Harlow — piano Bobby Valentín — bass; arrangements Louie Ramírez — vibes Orestes Vilató — timbales Johnny Rodríguez — bongos Ismael Quintana — maracas, clave, chorus Vinnie Bell — electric guitar Charlie Rodríguez — tres Justo Betancourt — chorus Santos Colón — chorus
Tite Curet Alonso — producer/co-producer, songwriter Jerry Masucci — co-producer Bobby Valentín & Nick Jiménez — arrangements Johnny Pacheco — recording director Izzy Sanabria — album design
For the 2026 vinyl edition:
Dave Polster & Clint Holley, Well Made Music — AAA lacquer cutting Format — 180-gram vinyl Packaging — gatefold jacket reproducing original Vaya Records artwork Label — Craft Latino / Craft Recordings Original label — Vaya Records, a Fania imprint.
Alex Hamburger & José Luiz Martins. Photo by Katie Simonian.
On Catalog of Dreams, flutist and vocalist Alex Hamburger and pianist José Luiz Martins create music that feels less like a formal recital than a private conversation gently opened to the listener. Their debut as a duo is intimate, spacious and quietly adventurous, shaped by Brazilian music, jazz, folk traditions and the accumulated language of six years spent performing and listening together.
Hamburger and Martins first met in Basel, Switzerland, in 2018. She came from the Washington, D.C./New York orbit; he had left São Paulo to pursue graduate studies in Europe. Their connection quickly evolved into an ongoing collaboration, eventually sharpened by a 2023 residency in the Swiss mountains where the ideas behind Catalog of Dreams began to take clearer shape.
The album gathers eight pieces—six reinterpretations and two originals—into what feels like a curated exhibition of shared influences and memories. Rather than simply presenting a varied repertoire, Hamburger and Martins reshape each selection according to the emotional logic of the duo.
Alex Hamburger & José Luiz Martins – Catalog of Dreams
Their chemistry depends on restraint. Hamburger’s flute often seems to breathe through the arrangements, moving with a lightness that never feels fragile. Her voice brings warmth and vulnerability, while Martins supplies an unusually responsive harmonic foundation. His piano playing is full without being crowded, and his use of keyboards and synths subtly enlarges the album’s sonic field.
Brazilian music forms the deepest thread. Gilberto Gil’s “Ladeira da Preguiça” carries an easy rhythmic vitality, while Airto Moreira’s “Tombo in 7/4” turns its unusual meter into something fluid and playful rather than cerebral. Luisa Lacerda’s “Poente,” with lyrics drawn from a poem by her father, André Lacerda, brings a more reflective mood. These pieces make the Brazilian lineage explicit, though its influence can be heard throughout the album in the duo’s sense of pulse, melody and harmonic colour.
Their reading of Wayne Shorter’s “Dance Cadaverous” reveals another side of their shared language. Shorter had long been a point of musical connection between them, and here they honour him through space rather than imitation. Martins leaves room around the harmony, while Hamburger’s flute moves through the piece with a searching, almost suspended quality.
By contrast, Thundercat’s “Captain Stupido” introduces welcome humour. The duo became fascinated with the song during their Swiss residency, drawn to the idea that playfulness could carry its own emotional depth. Their version strips away the original setting and rebuilds the tune within their own intimate instrumental world.
The original “Catalog” may best summarize the project. Hamburger’s links to jazz, folk, Black American music and the Great American Songbook merge naturally with Martins’ Brazilian sensibility, creating something hybrid without ever sounding self-conscious about it.
At just under thirty minutes, Catalog of Dreams is concise but deeply expressive. Its greatest achievement is not stylistic variety, but the feeling of two musicians listening closely enough to create a world that belongs fully to both of them.
For listeners drawn to Brazilian music, contemporary chamber jazz and the art of musical conversation, Catalog of Dreams offers something increasingly rare: two distinctive voices creating a third language together.
Alex Hamburger & José Luiz Martins – catalog of dreams
Released: August 2026 Label: Challenge Records Runtime: 29:40
Tracklist
1. Ladeira da Preguiça 2. Catalog 3. Tombo in 7/4 4. Detour Ahead 5. Captain Stupido 6. The Riddle 7. Poente 8. Dance Cadaverous
The first thing that becomes obvious about Alex Díaz’s beguilingly titled album, Number Seven is that its music is extremely forthright. A number of factors go into suggesting this. First: the album is unusually well-rehearsed and as a result the various players seem to function like proverbial cogs in a giant machine that works like clockwork. But this is no ordinary clockwork. It is like the legendary clockwork of a Swiss timepiece—elegant, precise, posh and expensive. This points to the players, who number stellar players that make up a celebrated marque. The bassist is the itinerant Rubén Rodriguez, a player that is blessed with a plump and joyful tone; who plays in wonderfully dancing circles whenever he is called upon to play. Mr. Rodríguez shares the bass chair with the ever-masterful John Benítez, a musician who has graced a host of superb albums in the Latin Jazz milieu. The second lead voice is certainly Iván Renta, one of the most powerful voices on woodwinds to come out of Puerto Rico. Then there is Mike Eckroth, a pianist of exceptional talent, so much so that he is able to adapt his playing to a number of musical idioms, something not many musicians are capable of. He shares his piano stool with another rising star: Yeisson Villamer. And that is only a part of the musical story that unfolds on this recording.
