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Roberto Fonseca - Akokan |
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Please note this is an old page and Fly Global Music has now moved. Please follow this link and search for the entry in the new site. Simple, pared-down melodies or complex riffs are the starting points from which Fonseca builds his compositions. ‘Lo Que Me Hace Vivir’ has a yearning melody that gives way to an unstoppable riff and Fonseca’s dazzling improvisations, while the Latin carnival of ‘El Ritmo De Tus Hombros’ links together two simple phrases and would fill any dance floor. Not all of the tracks shine as brightly though and the sheer range of styles can be a bit overwhelming (a nod to Eastern European folk on ‘Bulgarian’ sits alongside r&b romps and Afro-Cuban rhythms). For all the changes of style however, Fonseca’s new songs have an all-round muscularity that was perhaps missing previously. If the playing on Zamazu sounded slightly careful at times, right through Akokan, Fonseca and the band seem to be straining at the leash, as on the furious groove of ‘Lento y Despacio’. And what a band it is. Drummer Ramsés Rodriguez, who almost matches Fonseca for virtuosity if you see the band live, provides a firm rhythmic base while reeds-man Javier Zalba supports Fonseca’s own memorable soloing. Perhaps it is telling that Fonseca’s guests on Akokan are young world music stars when Buena Vista stalwarts like Ibrahim Ferrer and Omara Portuondo contributed to Zamazu. While there is no doubt where Fonseca’s heritage lies, the man stands in nobody’s shadow. |
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