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.

Robert Mitchell’s band, Panacea had a load of guests on their last album Trust so this pairing with Cuban Omar Puente on electric violin is sparse by comparison.

Robert studied his music degree at City University (at the same time as Deborah Jordan) while Omar studied classical and Cuban music at the Escuela Nacional de Arte and the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana.

Omar plays the electric violin throughout the eight tracks. It’s an instrument that doesn’t seem to have much the impact on popular, jazz or any other music for that matter since the early adopters like Jean-Luc Ponty were pioneering the instrument in the 1970’s (on his solo LPs and as a member of Zappa’s Mothers Of Invention and later, the Mahavishnu Orchestra).

Apart from the ELO fad, I’ve never understood why we don’t hear more electric violin. This makes Omar’s performance here even more special as it’s not gimmicky at all, pure virtuoso jazz-folk-Cuban.

The CD is a mix of relaxed Sunday afternoon with classical/jazz/minimal prog rock/jazz rock intensity. It’s the longer pieces that get you in the mood, like ‘Priceless’ (very classical with a touch of Keith Jarrett) and ‘Reflection Of A Bee-Hummingbird’.

The opener, ‘Somebody Backstage’ struck me as a wee bit Stephane Grappelli to start with but after a couple of listens, you can’t help but fall for its charm. ‘Equinoctune’ and ‘Each Bird Must Sing’ are contemplative, near ambient explorations between the two performers.

In this setting, you might think traditional Cuban songs would be out of place. The sleeve notes tell us that Chucho Valdez’s ‘Mambo Influeniado’ has always been an inspiration to Omar and that ‘Almendra’ was always a favourite of his parents.

Cuba is in the news a lot at the moment, from Castro’s birthday to Pitbull’s album. Omar has lived in the UK since 1997 and is one of a number of Cuban exiles that have made a great impression on the UK jazz scene. But I digress. Not that much actually as the last track, ‘Swings And Roundabouts’ is about Omar not being in Cuba with friends and family and at the same time, being in the UK with his wife, playing with and making new friends.

Hopefully, making even more new friends, they will be performing as part of the F-IRE December Festival with an album launch on the 18th December at Pizza On The Park; the rest of the festival (up to 22nd December) is on at Dalston’s Vortex (see links below).

This is a unique album as it builds Bridges between classical piano and violin, folk, jazz, cinematic and Cuban music at the same time. This all links in with Steve Reich and takes me back to my obsessive ECM period. So much so, it’s hard to stop listening to it, no bridge too far.

Hectic mix Nominations: ‘Priceless’, ‘Mambo Influeniado’, ‘Almendra’

Reviewed: Robert Mitchell And Omar Puente — Bridges (F-IRE) Cat. No.F-IRE CD 16 Release date: December 2006

Tracklisting:
1. Somebody Backstage (5:41)
2. Priceless (7:33)
3. Mambo Influeniado (2:34)
4. Equinoctune (3:48)
5. Each Bird Must Sing (8:56)
6. Almendra (8:18)
7. Reflection Of A Bee-Hummingbird (13:22)
8. Sings And Roundabouts (8:35)

Links:
Robert Mitchell www.myspace.com/robertmitchellmusic
www.jazzsummerschool.com/tutors/omarpuente.htm
F-IRE www.f-ire.com
Robert Mitchell and Omar Puente CD Launch @ Pizza On the Park Monday 18 December £15
Tuesday 12 December 8.30pm £8: Special collaboration with Tom Arthurs: trumpet, Lothar Ohlmeier: clarinet, Stefan Werni: bass,synth, Christian Jendreiko: guitar, synth
Wednesday 13 December 8.30pm £8: Robert Mitchell (piano) and Julian Siegel (saxophone)
Saturday 16 December 8.30pm £12: ORIOLE + Ingrid Laubrock Quintet double bill
Sunday 17 &Monday 18 December 8.30pm £9: Polar Bear + Leafcutter John
www.vortexjazz.co.uk
www.ponty.com