Live in Cuba [Live]

Amazon.com
The singer-composer Ivan Lins has been a major star of MPB (Musica Popular Brasiliera) for more than 20 years. He is a natural tunesmith with a strong pop sensibility whose songs have been covered by Ella Fitzgerald, George Benson, and Quincy Jones, among others. Pianist Chucho Valdés is the bandleader of Irakere, Cuba's premiere big-band jazz ensemble. This CD comes from Lins's own label, Velas, so it's not surprising that most of the tunes were written by Lins and his lyricist, Victor Martins, but that doesn't mean that Valdés and Irakere don't get to rock the house plenty with their sophisticated tropical swing. Lins's tenor voice is as flexible and pure as ever and his phrasing is masterly. He is one of the few singers capable of fronting an ensemble of this size and complexity. The set is aimed at an adult-contemporary audience, and everyone involved was obviously having a ball. --Christina Roden

From Rhythm Magazine
Recorded in Havana in '96, this collaboration by two Latin American musical giants is a dream come true. Six of the album's ten tracks feature the phenomenal Cuban big band Irakere, led by the celebrated pianist Chucho Valdis, backing up Brazilian vocalist Ivan Lins on his original compositions. Three tracks feature cellist Mario Manga, who poignantly accompanies Lins' resonant voice and solid keyboards. Lins also performs the Antonio Carlos Jobim/Vinmcius de Moraes classic "Garota From Ipanema" as a self-accompanied piece, allowing his voice and piano ample room to dance around the familiar melody. Irakere and Valdis show off on "La Explosion," an instrumental tour-de-force that jaunts from blues to funk to mambo to swing and back again.

Live in Cuba,Ivan Lins,Chucho Valdes,Irakere,Velas,Brazilian,Jazz,Latin,World Music

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