Cuba Linda

Cuba Linda

Octogenarian Cuban legend Israel "Cachao" Lopez returns with <I>Cuba Linda</I>, another five-star album produced by actor Andy Garcia, who did the same for the earlier <I>Master Sessions</I> volumes one and two. Bassist-composer Cachao leads an outfit that near-magically blends subtlety and power; anyone with an ear for this meld of mambo, <I>son</I>, and other classic styles will be hooked within the first two cuts. "Goza Mi Mambo Cubano" ("Rejoice with My Cuban Mambo") hits its height with a flurry of percussive devices midway through, while the lyrics of "A Francisquita le Gusta el Cusube" ("Francisquita Loves the Cusube") turn on playful sex/food metaphors as trumpeter Feliciano "Pachu" Gomez unleashes some mighty wails. It's also easy to appreciate how the band rips through "Bailalo Si Puedes" before leaning into a tropical take on <I>Rhapsody in Blue</I>: <I>Cuba Linda</I>'s melange of textures, rhythms, and unique soloists is indeed in the Ellingtonian tradition the disc's liner notes claim for Cachao. <I>--Rickey Wright</I>