Pepe Rivero - Friday Night In Spanish Harlem (2008)

The pianist and composer Pepe Rivero is part of the “New generation” of Cuban musicians who had their breakthrough in the international jazz scene. After finishing his classical piano studies in Havana he decided to devote himself to jazz. He toured with various Cuban jazz bands, which lead him to festivals in e.g. Montreal, Tokyo, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Washington, New Heaven und New York. In New York, he met Paquito D..Rivera and Celia Cruz. They immediately realized that they had discovered a “rough diamond”. Pepe Rivero accompanied Celia Cruz in her live concerts and during studio recordings and was soon treated as an insider tip in the scene when it came to new compositions or arrangements. In 2001, he founded his own band called PEPE RIVERO BAND in Madrid, together with trumpeter Manuel Machado, saxophonist Bobby Martinez, drummer Georvis Pico, percussionist Yuri Nogueira and Santi Greco who plays the electric bass. These musicians still form a unity. This production was recorded with completely new titles in Madrid in early spring of 2007. In addition to its regular members, the following musicians and friends joined the PEPE RIVERO BAND for this project: guitarist Rene L. Toledo (Miami), saxophonist Perico Sambeat (Spain), saxophonist Román Filiú (Spain), bassist Yelsy Heredia (Cuba), singer Gladston Galliza (Brazil), flamenco guitarist Gerardo Núñez (Spain) and the cajón player Cepillo (Spain). On the one hand, the music Pepe Rivero composes and plays is pure Latin jazz making his Cuban roots noticeable in every composition even when Brazilian atmosphere or the character of flamenco determine the sound. On the other hand, an attentive audience can also find another secret: He and his producer, Ben Lierhouse, love to insert inconspicuous little excerpts from classics. In this production, it’s encounters with Georg Gershwin, Frederic Chopin or Richard Wagner – with the result remaining purely Latin style! In this context, the positive influence of a profound classical qualification for a musician’s development becomes obvious, even if he started to pursue a highly jazz-oriented development. Pepe Rivero found his very own style, which is unmistakable. Furthermore, the great enthusiasm and harmony which provided an amazing atmosphere among the musicians during recording sessions can be clearly perceived in this production.