Rubalcaba

Who is Rubalcaba?

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Who is Rubalcaba?

You probably don't know much about Rubalcaba because he is a Cuban National who has only been welcome in the U.S. very recently. Rubalcaba is UNQUESTIONABLY the greatest improvisational pianist in the history of jazz. Here is the evidence on CD and cassette:


Life is a constant search for excellence. In this search we occasionally encounter competence - more rarely actual excellence. In music we find competence in players we enjoy and excellence in those we seek to hear.

Truly rare are our encounters with genius - the transcendence of a medium. Gonzalo Rubalcaba is one of those almose deific encounters. His art transcends music and makes his performances like religion - "a near life experience."

Bill Loughborough

Discography:

  • Live in Havana - Messidor 15830
    Early work of Grupo Proyecto, Havana, mid 80's
  • Mi Grand Pasion - Messidor 15999
    Cuban Ensemble, recorded in Germany, 1987
  • Giraldilla - Messidor 15801
    Electronic experiments in Germany, 1990
  • Discovery - Blue Note 795479
    Exquisite trio work with Charlie Haden on bass and Paul Motian on drums, 1990
  • The Blessing - Blue Note 797197
    Haden and Jack deJohnette. Superb, 1991.
  • Images - Blue Note 99492
    Rubalcaba; DeJohnette, drums; Patitucci, bass. Last tune, Mima, breathtaking in its simplicity. 1991.


    • On the liner notes Gonzalo says: Over there where everything is lacking, your dance to music, spirit and matter, the dance of tranquillity and essence, soul and conscience, art and decency, we shall have men standing on one land and we'll be in the middle of a hall with perfect acoustics, a scene with all different colors, to govern ones own, respect our fellow human beings, to draw in wood the injustice, we'll enjoy a repertoire of languages and tendencies; bitonais, monotonal, modals, tonals, capitals and socials.
    What is as universal as the spirit, that transcends all parts dressed in love, that international concept, like the waves, the wind, the breeze, dreams, life and death, one grand avenue, images without end.
  • 4 y 20 - Blue Note B4/B2-80054
    More incredible jazz: Felipe Cabrera, bass; Julio Barreto, drums; Reynaldo Melian, trumpet;Charlie Haden, bass, on several tracks, 1992
  • Rapsodia - Blue Note 7243-8-28264
    Rubalcaba compositions by Cuban quartet: Carbrera. Melian, and Barreto. VERY CUBAN! Mostly Rubalcaba compositions. 1992
  • Diz - Blue Note 7243 8 30490
    Diz tunes trio'd by Gonzalo, Ron Carter, bass, and Barreto. 1993
    • Gonzalo Dedicates this Album like this: Bebop was the first conscious step of Afro-American musicians toward the renewal of their own cultural and historic being. It was a surprising advance that incorporated every modern musical tendency allowing the clash of jazz with its own roots through the Cuban component-stressed when Cano Pozo joined Gillespie's band-and keeping as a constant the character of improvisational music and the preference for the small instrumental formation. This was not a simple call for integration but fusion itself.
    To the cunning work that keeps and denies time, educates and convinces us all about the existence of Glory.

    To Diz, father and friend. GONZALO RUBALCABA

  • Imagine - Blue Note 7243 8 30491
    Various of the above sidemen replaying some of the previously recorded Rubalcaba originals, '"Contagio", Circuito II, & Mima. New version of Lennon's Imagine. Totally non repetitive, new interpretatins. ...My favorite!

CDs featuring Gonzalo as guest keyboardist/arranger.

  • El Jazz Cubano - World Pacific 07777 8059929
    Fantastic compilation of Cuban music, 1992
  • Spirits of Havana - Messier 15825
    Great collaborationwith Canadian reed player Jane Bunnet. 1993
  • Mr. Bow Tie - Something Else 5575
    Gonzalo on six tracks of this Ron Carter Japanese CD. 1995
  • Programa Mi Salsa Vol. I Discmedi Blau DM 061
    Exciting salsa with numerous top Cuban pianists, including Frank Emilio AND Guillermo Rubalcaba, father and mentor of Gonzalo.


To the spirits strength - sustained music in the history of the most diverse harmonic enchantments - rhythmical science, praying technique and searching for space and temporary forms to the spontaneous impulse - out burst of improvisation that we present to life as frame and part of the work to be composed to the witch stimulus, to the secret mystical agony that art offers - the artist himself in ecstasis, wrapped in faith - in chanting love, death and life.

Gonzalo Rubalcaba

Our organization, Sociedad Internacional Rubalcaba exists for the sole purpose of alerting the world to the millennial significance of this artist, his music, and his collaborators.

For Additional Info contact:

Henrysandy Jacobs, President
Rubalcaba Society
(415) 663-1418

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