Albums
Jorge Luis Pacheco: The Lockdown Album
In a couple of months, we will turn the bend to 2024. The thought does arise: Hadn’t we better leave the pandemic and its horrors in the rearview mirror? And with it, things like the nightmare off the lockdown? However, it is especially true – at least when it comes to the lockdown – that scores of peoples’ livelihoods were severely curtailed because of all the above. Few experienced more upheaval than recording and performing artists like Jorge Luis Pacheco, whose ability to earn a living ground to a screeching halt overnight – not to mention the fact that it stayed that way for almost two years.
In the case of Mr Pacheco, however, listening [this late] to how he turned despair into triumph musically – and emotionally speaking – is nothing short of miraculous. This scintillating hour-long disc – The Lockdown Album – is dazzling from end to end. From the iconic Compay Segundo classic Chan-Chan, which evokes the darkness of solitariness at the beginning, then turning ever so gradually towards light is – in its dreaminess – simply one of the most fabulous openings to a set. Ever. Not the least because nothing can prepare you – even if you know the next monumental piece by Frederic Chopin – for the Revolutionary Etude, and not because of its frenzied, monumental melodic and harmonic architecture, but because of the brilliant, almost insolent virtuosity with which Mr Pacheco makes it his own.
Sviatoslav Richter has played one of the purest versions of this work, Vladimir Horowitz with his genius for everything Chopin and his attack has performed perhaps the mightiest rendition. Mr Pacheco’s rendition reveals his mastery of two idiomatic languages – the one in which Chopin wrote [i.e., the ‘Romantic/Classical’ one] and Mr Pacheco’s own deeply interiorised [Afro-Cuban] idiom. From its turbulent Chopinesque first part, which brims with furious cascades of musical divine madness, with double notes and grand arpeggios and one hyperactive virtuoso gesture after another.
The naughty capering continues as Mr Pacheco turns his di-optic visionary attention to the Afro-Cuban interpretation of the Revolutionary Etude as he is joined in by virtuoso bassist Helmut Reuter and the brilliant drummer Thomas Hempel. There is ample reason to regard the performance of this work not only as one of the most inventive, but also – for all the reasons mentioned above – as one of the best versions even if it veers away from Chopin’s script when Mr Pacheco turns it into an Afro-Cuban idiomatic performance.
If you thought that this might just be the apogee of the album [certainly in my view], there is more to come in the form of Ludwig van Beethoven’s celebrated final movement of his epic 9th Choral Symphony – Ode An Die Freude. The unforced manner of the grandiosity and at times, fragile music is stunning. In the most robust passages of the work, with its delicate pizzicato pedal notes, it is refreshing to hear all the detail that Mr Pacheco brings out in his version of the work. Registrations of theme and gestures are beautifully balanced throughout, and the pleno, while thrilling, isn’t overbearing. There is fizz and sparkle in all the right places and just enough warmth in the bass. If you blink you might almost miss the brilliant touch of the faux chorale provided by The Twäng.
The performance is not all about grandiosity and vaunted ornamentation. Mr Pacheco knows exactly when to put his virtuoso pianism to work emphasizing pianissimo passagework and that is clear to see in his breakout soli on La Conga, and – especially on the next truly astounding musical accompaniment to William Shakespeare’s famous Sonnet 18. The pianist’s glorious restraint makes way for the spotlight to be put exactly where it should be – on the lustrous voice of Anna Rabea Pacheco, who turns the poet’s lyric into something heart-stoppingly memorable.
At first blush, the Bee Gees song How Deep is Your Love may sound out of place, but it certainly isn’t. This is music to get the artist and his beloved through the loneliness of the lockdown, after all. And the aching beauty of Ms Pacheco’s vocal is once again a reminder that she is – with her feather-light voice – an artist of the first order. You might also almost forget the racy missive To Oscar, which seems to me to be a perfectly climactic finale to an utterly brilliant album.
If there is one thing I would wish for this recording, it would be more careful attention to separating the thunder of the Mr Hempel’s bass drum and Mr Reuter’s dark, rumbling bass. It doesn’t mar this brilliant music but makes it a little difficult to listen to – and enjoy – the music at high volume, which is how it should be enjoyed. It would also enhance the poignancy of Mr Pacheco’s fortissimos and pianissimos which play out so subtly in this music that you ascend to a rarefied realm just by playing – and, indeed, enjoying – large chunks of his music over and over again. Even with this engineering flaw [and even my acoustic tiles didn’t help much] this is still an album to die for.
Deo gratis…
YouTube Playlist – Jorge Luis Pacheco: The Lockdown Album
Music – 1: Chan-Chan; 2: Revolutionary Etude; 3: La Conga; 4: How Deep is Your Love; 5: Ode an Die Freude; 6: 705 y Medio; 7: Sonnet 18; 9: To Oscar.
Musicians – Jorge Luis Pacheco: piano, synthesizer, and voice; Helmut Reuter: bass; Thomas Hempel: drums; Anna Rabea Pacheco: voice [5, 7]; The Twäng: chorus [5].
Released – 2022
Label – ropedope [RAD 667]
Runtime – 1:00:37
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.
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.
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
Personnel Credits
Alex Hamburger – flute (1, 3, 5, 8); voice (1, 2, 4, 7); synth (2)
José Luiz Martins – piano, synth, keys
For three decades, trombonist Conrad Herwig has pursued one of contemporary Latin jazz’s most durable ideas: reimagining the music of major jazz composers through the rhythmic language of the Afro-Caribbean tradition. With The Latin Side of Chick Corea, that concept reaches an especially natural destination.
The album marks the 30th anniversary of Herwig’s Latin Side series, a project that has previously explored the music of figures including John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, Horace Silver and Charles Mingus. Chick Corea is an ideal subject because his music already carried a strong affinity for Latin, Spanish and Afro-Caribbean influences. Rather than imposing clave onto Corea’s compositions, Herwig reveals rhythmic possibilities that were already embedded within them.
That approach is brought to life by a formidable edition of the Latin Side All-Stars. Herwig is joined by saxophonist and flutist Craig Handy, trumpeter Alex Norris, pianist Bill O’Connell, bassist Rubén Rodríguez, drummer Robby Ameen and conguero Mauricio Herrera.
O’Connell is especially important to the project. As pianist and co-arranger, he serves as the harmonic bridge between Corea’s sophisticated language and the Afro-Caribbean framework surrounding it. His playing preserves the openness and harmonic colour of the original compositions while allowing montuno, syncopation and rhythmic counterpoint to become structural elements rather than decoration.
The horn section is equally commanding. Herwig’s trombone combines muscular attack with remarkable fluidity, Handy brings contrasting colours on reeds and flute, and Norris supplies brilliance and rhythmic precision. Behind them, Rodríguez, Ameen and Herrera create the album’s essential foundation: a rhythm section capable of moving naturally between jazz swing, tumbao and clave-driven propulsion.
The opening “Matrix” immediately establishes the album’s intent. Corea’s angular lines become newly physical when placed against an Afro-Caribbean rhythmic grid. Herwig’s trombone seems to converse with Herrera’s congas, stretching across the pulse before locking back into the groove.
“500 Miles High” undergoes a particularly effective transformation. Its familiar fusion atmosphere remains intact, but the new rhythmic setting brings the composition closer to the dance floor. The melody no longer simply floats above the rhythm; it becomes part of the groove itself.
A more lyrical approach shapes “Windows.” Here, Herwig and O’Connell resist the temptation to overload the piece. The Afro-Caribbean undercurrent subtly alters its momentum while preserving the transparency of Corea’s harmonic design.
The technical summit may be “The Brain,” which Herwig describes in the booklet as one of Corea’s most complex and far-reaching compositions. Its intricate rhythmic architecture gives the ensemble ample room to demonstrate both discipline and freedom. Herwig’s trombone is particularly effective, slipping between long, supple phrases and sharply articulated responses to the percussion.
Then comes “Spain,” inevitably the album’s biggest interpretive challenge. Few modern jazz compositions have been recorded more frequently, yet this arrangement finds a fresh point of entry. Rather than merely adding percussion to a familiar standard, Herwig and O’Connell shift its center of gravity toward an assertive Afro-Caribbean pulse. Herrera’s congas, Ameen’s drums and Rodríguez’s bass generate a communal drive beneath the famous melody, while the horns give the arrangement the energy of both the jazz stage and the rumba circle.
Across ten tracks—including “Tones for Joan’s Bones,” “Guajira,” “Humpty Dumpty,” “Litha” and “Crystal Silence”—the ensemble treats Corea’s catalogue as living material rather than museum repertoire. The album booklet describes Herwig’s goal as a combination of “tribute, imagination, and transformation,” and that phrase captures the recording remarkably well.
The Latin Side of Chick Corea ultimately succeeds because it respects both sides of its musical equation. Corea’s harmonic sophistication remains unmistakable, while the Afro-Caribbean rhythmic language is treated with equal seriousness and depth.
Thirty years into the Latin Side journey, Conrad Herwig’s tribute to Chick Corea continues to demonstrate that clave is not simply something placed beneath jazz. In the right hands, it can become a new way of hearing the music itself. Highly Recommended.
Released: July 2026
Label: Savant Records
Runtime: 58:25
Tracklist
1. Matrix — 5:18
2. 500 Miles High — 6:08
3. Tones for Joan’s Bones — 5:25
4. Guajira — 4:15
5. Humpty Dumpty — 5:41
6. Windows — 5:5
7. Litha — 6:48
8. The Brain — 6:41
9. Crystal Silence — 6:34
10. Spain — 5:33
Personnel Credits
Conrad Herwig — trombone, arranger, leader
Craig Handy — flute, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
Alex Norris — trumpet; flugelhorn on “Windows”
Bill O’Connell — piano, arranger
Rubén Rodríguez — bass
Robby Ameen — drums
Mauricio Herrera — congas
Production Credits
Producer: Conrad Herwig
Executive Producer: Barney Fields
Post-Production Creative Consultant: Luques Curtis
Recording Studio: Trading 8s Recording Studio, Paramus, New Jersey
Recorded and Mixed by: Chris Sulit
Mastered by: David Darlington at Bass Hit Studio, New York
Cover Art: Ying Li
Graphic Design: Irem Ela Yildizeli
On 3Discovery Vol. 1, Cuban-born pianist and composer Kemuel Roig turns the classic piano trio into a vivid arena for rhythmic invention, harmonic sophistication and spontaneous interplay. Roig delivers a lively and deeply personal recording that brings together Cuban tradition, modern jazz and the excitement of musicians discovering a shared voice. Joined by bassist Samuel Burgos and drummer Juan Armando Díaz, Roig leads a group that sounds remarkably settled despite this being the first recording to feature all three together as a unit.
Roig’s background helps explain the album’s strong rhythmic character. He began his musical training in Cuba with percussion and classical piano before continuing his career in the United States, where he developed into a versatile pianist whose work has crossed jazz, Cuban music and other contemporary styles. Over the years, he has performed and recorded with artists including Arturo Sandoval, Al Di Meola, Aymée Nuviola, Chris Potter and Randy Brecker.
On On 3Discovery Vol. 1, however, Roig is less interested in displaying credentials than in creating a genuine group sound. Burgos provides a strong melodic presence on bass, while Díaz plays with flexibility and imagination, constantly shaping the music’s direction. Roig gives both musicians plenty of room, and the result is an album that feels conversational rather than tightly controlled.
The opening “Reflejos” establishes a reflective mood before the trio gradually opens the music up. “Conga Jazz” moves in a more festive direction, drawing inspiration from Santiago de Cuba’s carnival tradition and giving Roig and Burgos space for an animated exchange. “Vida” is one of the album’s most joyful moments, a mambo-like celebration, bright and energetic, without becoming overstated.
“Freedom,” the longest track, adds another dimension with Gary Galimidi on guitar. His presence broadens the sound and gives the piece a more expansive, contemporary character. “Philotimo,” dedicated to Galimidi, is another highlight, balancing rhythmic tension with an easy sense of movement.
Roig’s more lyrical side emerges beautifully on “El Secreto de sus Ojos,” a tender piece that feels intimate and expressive. “Opus” introduces a subtle Brazilian flavour before returning to a distinctly Cuban sensibility, while “JD’s World” closes the album with Díaz taking center stage over a repeating rhythmic figure.
The three reimagined Cuban classics are equally revealing. “Quizás, Quizás, Quizás” is given a fresh identity through a new rhythmic and harmonic setting. “Angélica,” associated with the great Cuban pianist and composer Emiliano Salvador, becomes both tribute and personal statement. “Realidad y Fantasía” offers a quieter contrast, allowing melody and mood to carry the performance without a vocalist.
What ultimately makes 3Discovery Vol. 1 work is its sense of balance. The music is sophisticated without feeling heavy, energetic without becoming excessive, and deeply Cuban without being limited by tradition. Roig’s compositions provide a strong foundation, but the trio’s personality emerges through the way the musicians listen and respond to one another.
3Discovery Vol. 1 is a confident and engaging statement from a pianist who understands both the history he comes from and the freedom required to move beyond it. For listeners interested in contemporary Cuban jazz, strong trio playing and music that combines depth with genuine enjoyment, this is an album well worth hearing. Highly recommended.
Released: July 2026
Label: Life in Music
Runtime: 1:00:16
Tracklist
1. Reflejos – 6:04
2. Conga Jazz – 8:24
3. Quizás, Quizás, Quizás – 5:47
4. Angélica – 8:57
5. Vida – 6:09
6. Freedom – 12:13
7. Philotimo (Dedicated to GG) – 7:54
8. El Secreto De Sus Ojos – 8:26
9. Opus – 5:47
10. Realidad y Fantasía – 4:24
11. JD’s World – 2:06
Credits
Kemuel Roig – piano
Samuel Burgos – upright & electric bass
Juan Armando Díaz – drums
Gary Galimidi – Guitar (track 6)
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