Latin Jazz - Tony Martinez

As he brazenly demonstrated on La Habana Vive, his 1998 debut for the Blue Jackel Entertainment label, Tony Martinez is among the most elite ranks of contemporary Cuban musicians. An artist with an exceptional understanding of his country's African-derived rhythms, he possesses an equally impressive awareness of how to incorporate elements of jazz, funk and other non-Cuban ingredients to achieve stylistic hybrids that produce
uncommonly bracing results. His ability to meld primordial rhythmic and vocal elements with contemporary, jazz savvy values places him in the vanguard of today's most impressive and promising Latin musicians.

On Maferefun, his follow-up release for Blue Jackel, the 31 year old master musician, composer and arranger and his group The Cuban Power further advance their goal of defining a new way of using the dialect of traditional Afro-Cuban rhythms to forge a new music language for the next millennium. And the company Martinez keeps on the album speaks both of the high esteem in which he is held by many of Cuba's most important musicians
and of their eagerness to contribute to the leader's imposing artistic quest.

Foremost among Martinez' colleagues on the session is the extraordinarily gifted piano virtuoso Gonzalo Rubalcaba, recognized throughout the world as one of the most important jazz innovators of his generation. Conguero Miguel "Anga" Diaz, a veteran of the seminal Cuban group Irakere, is a technically dazzling percussionist who is viewed as the kind of breakthrough conga player who comes along only once in several decades. Trumpeter Julio Padrón, also a graduate of the Irakere finishing school of Cuban jazz, is both a brilliant soloist and the consummate section member. Drummer Julio Barreto, a member of Rubalcaba's famous Cuban jazz quartet, is another
star quality musician who, as with his cohorts on the session, enthusiastically conforms to the spirit of camaraderie Martinez has cultivated among his cast of guest musicians and regular band members.

In the Yoruba tongue, the album's title means "Blessing to the divine grace." The new music Tony Martinez regales us with on Maferefun is both divine and a blessing.

Visit Tony's page and read more about this very talented young man!