MONTREAL, Canada (Montreal Jazz Festival Official Website) - Jesus "Chucho" Valdes and Gonzalo Rubalcaba , two brilliant Cuban jazz pianists who took different paths to stardom, brought their own brands of mastery to separate four-night stands at the Montreal International Jazz Festival this week.
Both acclaimed among the world's top keyboardists, Rubalcaba left Cuba a decade ago whereas Valdes is still based in his native country.
In their Montreal performances, Rubalcaba, 39, appeared introverted and self-contained while Valdes, 60, was adventurous and playful. But both enthralled their audiences.
Bassist Charlie Haden first met Rubalcaba during a trip to Cuba in 1988. Taken with the Cuban's talent, Haden persuaded Montreal jazz fest founder Andre Menard to invite him to play the following year, a move that launched Rubalcaba's career outside Cuba.
Rubalcaba moved to the Dominican Republic in 1992, and last year took his family to live in Fort Lauderdale , Florida. Last year, Rubalcaba and Haden recorded an album of boleros entitled "Nocturne," which won a Grammy for best Latin jazz album.
Rubalcaba opened this year's Invitation series at the Montreal festival, playing successive nights in solo and trio, with Haden and tenor titans Joe Lovano and David Sanchez . Although varied, the sets were displays of understated virtuosity, punctuated by volleys of Latin fire.
The handsome Rubalcaba hunched over the piano each night, his face so close to the keys he looked like a scientist examining an exotic species.
His hands bent into claws, he hungrily picked at the keys, the music bursting in staccato teasing lines of native son and mambos. During his ballads, he caressed minor notes with a delicate touch.
RUBALCABA AND LOVANO
While the night with Haden was an elegant reprise of their "Nocturne" recording, the show with Lovano was the most intriguing and unpredictable. Lovano, a Grammy and Downbeat award-winning saxophonist, is best known for his big bop sound and sprinting solos.
In their duets, Rubalcaba and Lovano proved tough and tender. They rough-housed and rambled their way through Scott Lafaro's "Gloria" and Tadd Dameron's "Hot House", playing a game of "Can You Top This" through the changes.
And, in a typical unexpected turn that defines the spirit of this festival, Lovano traded his sax for a rare turn at the cymbals and snare, sitting at the drums for two jams that rocked the house.
In contrast to Rubalcaba, Chucho Valdes still has Havana as his home, even though others such as Arturo Sandoval , Rubalcaba and his own father, Bebo, have defected from Cuba.
In 1944, Bebo Valdes , then musical director of the Havana-based Tropicana casino, gave his son his first piano lesson. At the casino, Valdes saw his dad work with legends Dizzy Gillespie , Sarah Vaughan and Nat "King" Cole, whose album "Cole in Espanol," was arranged by Bebo.
Studying classical, jazz and Latin music, Valdes formed his first jazz trio at 16. In 1973, Valdes and Paquito D'Rivera formed Irakere, producing a revolutionary sound that incorporated Cuban, rock, funk and classical influences.
Irakere won a Grammy for its first recording, Misa Negra (Black Mass).
VALDES AN IMPOSING FIGURE
During his four-night stint, Valdes played solo, teamed up with pianist Kenny Barron , his Afro-Cuban quartet and regrouped with Irakere.
Six feet, six inches tall, Valdes has the looks of a younger James Earl Jones , standing head and shoulders above his bassist, drummer and conga players, with whom he shared an easy rapport. When Valdes sat at the keyboard and spread his long arms, the piano seemed to shrink to accordion size.
Yet Valdes is one big cuddly Cuban. Speaking only in Spanish, he exuded warmth, humility and humor that captured the audience.
Performing a duet with fellow legend Kenny Barron, the two traded smiles and solos throughout their set. They took the minimal changes of "Solar" and expanded on them into their own galaxy. They turned "Over The Rainbow" into a rhapsody, Barron's gentle fingering and Valdes's twirling glissandos escorting the audience into the Emerald City.
The highlight of the series was Valdes third night with his Afro-Cuban quartet. He changed tempos and styles so often and so fast it was like a high-speed chase down narrow streets. His mambo tribute to Duke Ellington with "Satin Doll," "In A Sentimental Mood" and "Caravan", led to the first of three standing ovations.
