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Long before the Buena Vista Social Club and when Havana Cultura - New Cuba Sound wasn’t even a glint in Gilles Peteson’s eye, one of Cuba’s most influential bands recorded an album in Japan for an exclusive Japanese vinyl release. This was 1980 when Cuba Libre was composed, arranged and produced by Chikara Ueda (Japan’s “Ry Cooder” of his day).

Irakere was founded in 1973 and created a sound that mixed jazz, European traditional music, rock, funk enriched with Afro-Cuban and electronic influences (like a big band Cuban version of Azymuth you might say). Early albums included Grupo Irakere, Chekeré and Chekeré Son.

The early version of Irakere was like as super group of the best Cuban musicians including Chucho Valdés (keys), Paquito D’Rivera, Arturo Sandoval (trumpet), Carlos Emilio Morales (guitar), Carlos Averhoff (tenor sax), Jorge Alfonso (percussion), Oscar Valdés (percussion), Carlos del Puerto (bass) and Jorge Varona (trumpet) and apart from D’Rivera, this is the group on this album; with Germán Velazco Vrdeliz (alto sax), Enrique Plá (drums).

Cuba Libre is not so much a “Forgotten Treasure of Latin Music” as claimed on the cover (the track ‘Encuentro’ appeared on the Soul-Jazz compilation Nu Yorica 2! Further Adventures In Latin Music - Chango In The New World 1976-1985) but just very hard to get hold of.

And there are six very good reasons for getting hold of it. Starting with the Cuban-prog fusion of the 12 minute title track that features Chucho Valdés al a Return to Forever Chick Corea with the incredible Japanese recording quality of the time (when the “Japanese Import” was the quality approval thing).

The main tracks for the jazz-funkers are the dreamy ‘Sea Mail’, the manic ‘Encuentro’ (it’s a WOW! this one) and the gentle breeze of ‘Que Pasa?’

The album ends on a ‘Cuba Libre (reprise)’ that’s one for percussion-head break/mixtapes and disregarding the 80s ‘TV theme’, the percussionists, Puerto and Plá push ‘Gospelanza’ along like a train and Valdes is even more superb than usual.

For the label’s 150th CD release (some milestone these day I think you’ll agree), I shouldn’t really be surprised that they’ve managed to find something even better than their last one (Joyce & Donato’s Aquarius that’s another must have this year).

Cuba Libre is so much more than just an album for Jazz Dancers on a Bank Holiday weekend; Sandoval’s trumpet nearly steels the show but that would be unfair to single just him out. Yes they are all fantastic and you won’t be able to stop listening (or movin’ to this one); it’s going to be in my box for a very long time.

And whilst if it wasn’t for the Nueva Vision compilation, we wouldn’t have know that Irakere means “vegetation” in Yoruba - now, go out and get Cuba Libre and let their sound grow?

P.S. all the accolades for this band are encapsulated on this one CD!
“One of the finest jazz ensembles in the world” LA Times
“One of the best big bands in the world” Itunes
“Among Cuba’s most influential bands” Discogs
“Chucho Valdes is the greatest jazz pianist in Cuba, perhaps one of the greatest pianists in the world” Time magazine
“Arturo Sandoval is arguably the most prodigious trumpeter of his generation” Guardian

Reviewed: Irakere - Cuba Libre (Far Out Recordings) Cat. No. FARO150CD Release date: 3rd May 2010
Tracklisting:
1. Cuba Libre (12:58)
2. Sea Mail (6:58)
3. Encuentro (7:39)
4. Que Pasa? (5:28)
5. Gospelanza (5:59)
6. Cuba Libre (reprise) (1:09)