Fé

iTunes Review

Cuban-born, U.S.-based pianist and composer Gonzalo Rubalcaba draws from his classical conservatory training and his experience playing with Afro-Cuban outfits, including the legendary Orquesta Aragon. The self-released Fé finds Rubalcaba alone at the keyboard. Although he’s always been known for his formidable technique, in recent years he has trimmed some of the flash and become more focused. Here, he performs two versions of Miles Davis’ “Blue In Green” that find a nice balance between abstraction and moody ballad interpretation; the end results are both heady and moving. “Improvisation 1” and “Improvisation 2,” two pieces based on “Coltrane Changes”— innovative harmonic progressions used by John Coltrane — both dazzle with their speed and precise articulation. “Joan,” the longest track, finds the pianist working in an expansive mode that moves through many sections, and that at times recalls Keith Jarrett. One striking cut, “Oro,” moves between salon-like melodicism and more dissonant passages. Here, Rubalcaba displays a virtuosity that’s as sharp as a razor.