Con El Permiso De Bola, Francisco Cespedes with Gonzalo Rubalcaba
A couple strolls down the streets of Havana in the early morning hours. Sounds wafting from a nearby club cause them to pause and listen. Drawing closer, they peer into a open door to see four men gathered around a piano producing some of the loveliest sounds they've ever heard in their lives. Unaware that they have an audience, the quartet nestles deep into the music of a revered predecessor. Occasionally, a colleague joins them to contribute on trumpet or guitar or violin. But mostly it's the four -- a singer, a virtuoso pianist, a bassist, and a drummer -- speaking to and inspiring each other through the music.
Franciso Cespedes, a former physician, approaches every song as an act of making love, not reverence. As a result, he gets to the essence of the material without without coming across as a imitator. Cespedes' warm, breathy baritone seems perfect for songs that he caresses with the attention of a man reunited with his one true love. Rubalcaba eschews pyrotechnics and instead plays piano as if he were F. Scott Fitzgerald writing The Great Gatsby: Each note, each phrase receives precisely the right stress, tone, and rhythm. He plays precisely what is needed for every song; each performance is a perfectly polished gem beautiful for its restraint. Ignacio Berroa's melodic drumming combines with Carlos del Puerto's lush bass to form an ideal rhythm section. Highly recommended.
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