Gonzalo Rubalcaba-Fé

I first started listening to Gonzalo quite late in the game when I purchase his album Avatar back in 2008. His sound is a challenging mix of afro Cuban styling with the obvious historical influences of Monk, Powell, and even the bebop sensibility of Parker, although the final creation is far from the traditional structure of bebop jazz. It’s his sound and it’s beautiful, passionate, intelligent and filled with the mystery and authenticity of his Cuban heritage. With this background, I approached his latest solo endeavor, Fé (Faith) recently released on his own independent label, 5Passions Productions. I’ve been drawn to solo piano for some time now, particularly Keith Jarrett, Brad Mehldau, Vijay Iyer, Andrew Hill and Bill Evans among others, and this disc is a wonderful addition. Players often speak of a master’s voice in the jazz medium, particularly with horn players; that is, those players who have honed their craft to the level that their sound is uniquely theirs (Coltrane, Rollins, Gordon, etc.) but there are certain pianists whose styles have developed to the level that you know it’s them as soon as they touch the keys. Gonzalo fits right into this distinguished group. I recommend, in particular, the beautiful ballad Jean and his two takes on Blue in Green.