The 24 years of DR Jazz Festival are a reality, with an edition organized on steam. It couldn’t have been better, at least its first day.
Fedujazz organizes this party every year. Since 2019 it has not been organized.
Cabarete, Cabarete beach and the Pomodoro area, where the jam sessions are held after the concerts, welcome hundreds of people who arrive from the capital, Santiago, Puerto Plata, Sosúa, Río Blanco, Cabrera.
It had to be done after the pandemic.
Joël & Mushy, the two Haitian brothers, one a percussionist, a singer; the other producer and pianist, left a very good taste in the audience after presenting the visa passport with Amelie, which was undoubtedly a good start.
The second proposal was a jazz gagá with a good drum solo: Koté moum ya.
The third San Melé, and the fourth, Ayizan, well received.
In Malouk the singer switches to the drums. He distantly remembers Bobby Carcasses.
Soda. The efficient piano both in the harmonies and in the percussive passages. Good raw guitar. Sometimes the bass, the minor percussion and the drums dialogue, when the bass takes the lead.
The pianist more Hilario Durán than Rubalcava.
They close with another gagá, Maskawon preceded by an original song. The congas, although they play a more or less acceptable role, lack energy and brightness for themselves.
But the last song Maskawon is a declaration of principles of this group that investigates the folkloric roots and fuses them with jazz, as Irakere already did half a century ago.
The Haitian group was well received and fairly applauded.
The Tempered Flute
Rafelito Mirabal y Sistema Temperado opens with a work entitled Sextentidos that includes clarinet, bass, guitar, drums and two more percussionists, in addition to the piano and keyboard by Mirabal. In the first theme leading expressions of the clarinet. Even when there is a change of rhythm towards a touch of drums. And Armengol in the sticks. There is in Rafelito an aggressiveness in a wonderful crescendo. Which is full of energy and melody and leads to another change of pace.
“An honor,” Rafelito speaks after the applause. “We were founders of this festival,” he recalls and mentions the members of the band: Carlito Estrada (sax), Curin Curiel (drums), David Almengod (percussion), Isla Alcaraz, Ilving Peña on bass.
Then Nestor Torres entered, who together with the band did the rest of the concert.
Cuban coffee was tremendous, overflowing with rhythm and tropical sense.
In Byscaine he dialogued with the pailas and the sax
Then he plays Alejandro Sanz Give me the chair where I waited for you, which shows a reflective and lyrical depth at the beginning.
“What an honor, what a pleasure to be here, in paradise! We are making history together,” she said.
Study in samba, allowed him to deliver a piece a little more moving and start marking with his feet.
It was followed by Flashes of Eternity, Rafelito and Tempered System. A theme where the arrangement favored the presence of the flute.
El Dorado gave away passages of Colombian music.
Alfonsina and the sea, thoughtful, intimate, passionate. She ends with a gush of music. Very applauded, stand up.
Here, and at the request of someone in the audience, Nestor himself sang, Sabor a mí.
One of the best songs of the whole night, preceded by the narration of its origin, was El Cadete e un tiguere. In G major. Ovation.
His well-known piece Passion Fruit for the first time with Rafelito Mirabal and Sistema Temperado, was immediately recognized by the mixed audience that attended, including the ambassadors of France, Germany, the European Union.
To finish Tambora. Initial dialogue between tambora and flute, to which guira and keyboard are added, then marks the pambiche. Bass and other instruments come. Final Champola between saxophone and flute to reach the end along the Güarenas path.
