A safari, in essence, is all about the idea of an encounter between the tamed, usually in the form of adventure-seeking humans, and the wild, which they aim to explore. The same could be said for the music that drummer Francisco Mela creates with Cuban Safari on Tree Of Life. For his third solo outing, the Cuban-born drummer, best known for his work as part of the two drummer-and-bass team that anchors saxophonist Joe Lovano's Us Five outfit, assembled a diverse group of instrumentalists to help him flesh out his own brand of music, which blends fusion, African-leaning world music and post-modern jazz ideals in myriad ways.
On a program which favors Mela originals, yet features music from such disparate sources as pianist Jason Moran ("Retrograde") and Hoagy Carmichael ("The Nearness Of You"), the drummer achieves a rare balance between sophistication and abandon, as he delivers irrepressible rhythmic layers behind, between and around the rest of his band. He's comfortable delivering bashing, rock-based beats ("Africa En Mis Venas") and choppy, broken rhythms ("Retrograde"), but that's not all he does. Mela also thrives in tribalistic settings, as he mixes it up with percussionists Mauricio Herrera and Arturo Stable ("Fiesta Conga"), and full-on fusion assaults ("Yo Me"). He even mans the microphone on a few occasions, delivering dreamy Spanish-language vocals over a gentle bed of piano during the introduction for the album-closing "Gracias A La Vida," and English-language vocals on "The Nearness Of You."
While the back panel lists eleven different musicians on the date, and all those involved play an important part in this music when they make an appearance, some stand out more than others. Pianist Elio Villafranca shows incredible range, as he moves from spiky and delightfully disjointed soloing ("Retrograde") to placid accompanying over the course of the album, and guitarist Ben Monder delivers some other-worldly sounds, living up to his reputation as a master sonic craftsmen. Saxophonist Uri Gurvich is superb at every turn, and Jowee Omicil's scorching soprano work helps to fuel the fire on "Yo Me." Esperanza Spalding makes a guest appearance on "Yadan Mela," but she leaves the bass duties to Peter Slavov, as she delivers wordless vocals, which simply ooze soul, over an invigorating, Pan-African backdrop.
While Mela's band might be called Cuban Safari, the music they create isn't stranded on that lone expanse of land located ninety miles south of Miami. Mela's music encompasses everything that he has encountered, making the Tree Of Life a sonic safari through the worldwide wilds of jazz and beyond. - Dan Bilawsky
In the liner notes to Tree of Life, drummer/composer/arranger Francisco Mela's third album as a leader, Bill Milkowski quotes him: "There are three bands that I really love, the electric Miles Davis band with keyboardists Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea, Weather Report, and Chucho Valdés with Irakere. What I'm trying to do with Cuban Safari is put those three bands together." That's a mighty ambitious agenda. Cuban Safari is an octet with notable soloists. Guitarist Ben Monder shines as an ensemble player throughout, but his wire-walking solo on "Classico Mela" is one of the album's high points. Saxophonist Uri Gurvich articulates Mela's complex melodic and harmonic lines; he's an imaginative soloist but his sense of time is unshakable. (Note his playing on both the aforementioned tune and the opener, "Retrograde," to get your head melted.) Pianists Leo Genovese and Elio Villafranca have different but unique strengths. Musically, the music on Tree of Life ranges -- sometimes in the same tune -- from radical post-bop to fiery Afro-Cuban, modern electric, and post-millennial transworld jazz. Check the twists and turns in "Africa en Mis Venas," with its timed stops and starts. Two different intricate heads are played by Monder and Gurvich in lockstep succession before Monder moves it into post-bop terrain on his solo, shifting and shaping the changes as he goes. Villafranca brings it back harmonically with a quick montuno phrase before pursuing an unaccompanied and elegantly swinging solo in which he creates a separate musical dialogue in counterpoint. "Toma del Poder" begins almost Monk-like in its recurring five-note chord and melody sequences, but quickly gets stretched and scraped into the new century with knotty rhythmic changes from all the front-line players, while bass and drums provide an angular but recognizable groove. "Yo Me" is dark, funky, spooky electric jazz with atmospheric electric piano and fine soprano sax work by guest Jowee Omicil. "Fiesta Conga" features percussionists Mauricio Herrera and Arturo Stable in a duel. Closer "Gracias a la Vida" begins as a ballad, gets turned inside out by Mela's kit and Villafranca's piano to a Latin tinge, and moves outside in Gurvich's solo before the ballad returns. Tree of Life is a wildly imaginative, expertly played recording; Mela and Cuban Safari illustrate that the future of jazz is indeed now. - Thomas Jurek
Un safari, en esencia, tiene que ver con la idea de un encuentro entre el domesticado, por lo general en forma de aventura en busca de los seres humanos, y lo salvaje, lo que se pretende explorar. Lo mismo podría decirse de la música que el baterista Francisco Mela crea con el navegador Safari de Cuba en el Árbol de la Vida. Para su salida en solitario en tercer lugar, el baterista de origen cubano, conocido por su trabajo como parte de los dos baterista y contrabajista equipo que nos ancla traje Cinco saxofonista Joe Lovano, reunió a un diverso grupo de instrumentistas que le ayudara a profundizar en su propia marca de la música, que combina la fusión, los afro-apoyado la música del mundo y post-modernas ideales de jazz de maneras innumerables.
En un programa que favorece a los originales Mela, sin embargo, cuenta con música de fuentes tan dispares como el pianista Jason Moran ("Retrograde") y Hoagy Carmichael ("The Nearness Of You"), el batería alcanza un raro equilibrio entre la sofisticación y el abandono, ya que ofrece incontenible capas rítmicas detrás, entre y en el resto de su banda. Se siente cómodo entrega de golpear, rock basada en ritmos ("Africa En Mis Venas") y los ritmos entrecortados, roto ("Retrograde"), pero eso no es todo lo que hace. Mela también prospera en ambientes tribal, ya que se mezcla con percusionistas Mauricio Herrera y Arturo Stable ("Fiesta Conga"), y completa sobre las agresiones de la fusión ("Yo Me"). Incluso sirve el micrófono en algunas ocasiones, la entrega de ensueño en español de la voz sobre una cama suave de piano durante la introducción para el álbum de cierre "Gracias A La Vida", en idioma Inglés y voces en "La Cercanía de ti".
Mientras que el panel trasero una lista de once diferentes músicos en la fecha, y todos aquellos involucrados juegan un papel importante en esta música cuando hacen acto de presencia, algunos se destacan más que otros. Elio Villafranca pianista muestra un increíble rango, mientras se mueve de punta y deliciosamente desarticulada solos ("Retrograde") a la plácida que acompaña a lo largo del álbum, y el guitarrista Ben Monder ofrece algunos sonidos de otro mundo, a la altura de su reputación como un maestro artesanos sónica. El saxofonista Uri Gurvich es excelente en todo momento, y el trabajo soprano abrasador Jowee Omicil de ayuda a alimentar el fuego de "Yo Me." Esperanza Spalding hace una aparición especial en "Yadan Mela", pero deja los deberes para el bajo Peter Slavov, ya que ofrece una voz sin palabras, que simplemente exudan alma, a través de una vigorizante, Pan-Africano telón de fondo.
Mientras que la banda de Mela que podría llamarse cubano Safari, la música que crean no está varado en aquella extensión de tierra solitaria situado a noventa millas al sur de Miami. Mela música abarca todo lo que él ha encontrado, por lo que el árbol de la vida un sonoro safari por la selva en todo el mundo de. Jazz y más allá de Bilawsky ~ Dan Bilawsky
Tracks
01. Retrograde (Jason Moran)
02. Africa En Mis Venas
03. Toma Del Ponder
04. Yadan Mela
05. Classico Mela
06. The Nearness Of You (Hoagy Carmichael/Ned Washington)
07. Yo Me (Francisco Mela/Jowee Omicil)
08. Just Now
09. Fiesta Conga
10. Gracias A La Vida (Violeta Parra)
FRANCISCO MELA drums, vocals
ELIO VILLAFRANCA piano
LEO GENOVESE piano
URI GURVICH saxophone
BEN MONDER guitar
LUQUES CURTIS bass
MAURICIO HERRERA percussion
ESPERANZA SPALDING vocals (4)
PETER SLAVOV bass
ARTURO STABLE percussion
Recorded June 2-3, 2010 at Downtown Music Studios, NYC
All compositions by Francisco Mela except (1) (6) (7) & (10)
Half Note Records. HN 4549