On Firm Ground / Tierra Firme (Linus Entertainment)
Jane Bunnett & Maqueque
Released September 6, 2019
Juno Award Nominee Jazz Album of the Year: Group 2020
JAZZ FM 10 Best Jazz Albums of 2019
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https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lvR1n3qWGxqRjwKK1-HEyJ6ZOYx0MSgVw
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About:
JANE BUNNETT and MAQUEQUE has evolved – in less than five years – from a project to support and honor the new generation of young women jazz players and composers, to a Grammy nominated, critically acclaimed band that is in demand internationally at major Jazz festivals.
This all-female collective is led by veteran jazz icon, soprano saxophone player, flautist, composer and proud Canadian JANE BUNNETT. With five Juno awards, three Grammy nominations and an Officer of the Order of Canada (Canada’s highest civilian award) JANE BUNNETT decided to dedicate herself to taking MAQUEQUE to the world.
Prior to recording On Firm Ground / Tierra Firme, JANE BUNNETT and MAQUEQUE went from strength to strength touring constantly from Canada’ s Yukon to Colombia, Brazil, Cuba and Panama to major US Jazz festivals and clubs including Newport, Monterey, Saratoga, Birdland and Lincoln Center.
A recent collaborator, Sacred Steel guitar player and vocalist Nikki D Brown, comes from the Church and hails from Toledo, Ohio. She contributes fiery steel and soulful vocals to On Firm Ground and melancholy playing and Vocals on “Broken Heart.” Dayme Arocena (a founding member and inspiration for the group) is full on for this recording and offers her composition “Mysteries of Jane’s House,” showing how in a few short years she has become one of the bright lights and biggest stars in Afro Cuban Jazz.
Pianist Danae Olano wrote three compositions and has becomes Jane’s closest collaborator. Her playing and composition skills have blossomed, and her pieces represent the heart and soul of this third Maqueque recording. Other highlights include three new Jane Bunnett compositions, including “Monkey See, Monkey Do” with lyrics by past member Melvis Santa, who adds her vocals throughout the CD. Drummer Yissy Garcia is the heartbeat and power that propels Maqueque along, especially with new members Mary Paz on percussion and bassist Tailin Marrero, who adds a beautiful acoustic bass sound. Another surprise is the addition of MAQUEQUE’s newest member, Joanna Majoko, an incredibly soulful vocalist whose roots are in Zimbabwe and who immediately connected with the MAQUEQUE groove.
Producer Larry Cramer contributes a stunning take on John Coltrane’s “Moment’s Notice,” done in a conga style and clocking in just under three minutes.
Track Listing:
1. La Linea (The Line-Up) 3:49
2. Monkey See Monkey Do 4:45
3. Momentum 3:20
4. On Firm Ground 4:53
5. Habana De Noche (Havana At Night) 4:35
6. Sky High 4:19
7. The Occurance 4:33
8. Reencuentro (Re-United) 6:34
9. Broken Heart 3:56
10. Mystery Of Jane’s House 3:12
11. Pa’Con Paz 2:32
12. Musica En Al Alma (Music In The Soul) 5:03
Personnel:
Jane Bunnett: soprano sax and flute
Dánae Olano: piano and vocals
Tailin Marrero: acoustic bass, electric bass and vocals
Yissy García: drums
Joanna Majoko: vocals
Special Guests
Mary Paz: percussion and vocals
Dayme Arocena: vocals
Melvis Santa: vocals
Nicole Nikki D Brown: vocals and sacred steel (4, 9)
Recorded October / November 2018
Produced by Larry Cramer
Review:
With their previous album, Oddara, Jane Bunnett and Maqueque presented an almost panoramic view of Cuban jazz, with flashes of percussive virtuosity, splashes of chamber music intimacy and regular bursts of vocal uplift. Although there was plenty of room for Bunnett’s rhythmically urgent, emotionally expressive flute and soprano sax, the arrangements took pains to show off the range and versatility of her ensemble. If Cuban music were a big canvas, they were determined to cover it all.
On Firm Ground/Tierra Firme, by contrast, is less interested in framing the richness of Cuban music than in showing off the strengths of Maqueque itself. As well it should. Five years since its inception, the sextet only has gotten stronger, tighter, funkier, and the music on its third album bears the unmistakeable confidence of a band that has found its voice, and is eager to speak with it.
Tracks like “La Linea” and “Habana De Noche” build sweetly melodic structures atop sinuous, richly harmonized grooves, balancing bass and percussion against lush vocal chorales, with the piano and Bunnett’s soprano providing pungent counterpoint. At their best, these tracks sound like a logical progression from the pop-friendly fusion Irakere specialized in.
What ultimately makes Terra Firme ground-shaking are the moments when Bunnett and Maqueque move beyond that template. The lithe, soulful “On Firm Ground” steps beyond the usual boundaries of Cuban jazz, thanks to the searing sacred steel guitar of guest Nikki D. Brown (imagine Robert Randolph with Santana, then square it), while “Broken Heart,” with bassist Tailin Marrero on upright and Brown providing well-placed blue notes, shows an impressive command of balladry.
Elsewhere, “Monkey See Monkey Do” is a lovely bit of social uplift that not only speaks to the potential within, but does so with the sort of blithely inspiring melody that makes its “believe in yourself” message seem almost redundant. Bunnett and Maqueque might sing about being on firm ground, but clearly they’re reaching for the stars.
J.D. Considine (DownBeat)
