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SFJAZZ Spring Season 2006 • March 17-June 17, 2006

"Solo Piano"

Gonzalo Rubalcaba, solo

Friday, May 12 • 8pm

  • $65
  • $50
  • $38
  • $25
    • “One of the greatest virtuosos of jazz piano.”
    —The New York Times

    Hailed for his "prodigious technique, a keen awareness and understanding of jazz and deep roots in Afro-Cuban rhythmic nuance" (Down Beat), Latin Grammy-winning pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba showcases his ever-evolving depth and virtuosity in this intimate solo performance. As JazzTimes compared him to another great solo pianist: “Much like Keith Jarrett, Rubalcaba has the ability to lift the traditional into something out of the ordinary.”


    Barbara & Barry Lynn

     

    Program Notes

    Virtuoso pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, born and raised in Havana, Cuba, where he was trained in classical music, owes the launch of his international jazz career to two of his early champions: Dizzy Gillespie, who discovered him in 1985 in part through his work in the band Orquesta Aragon; and Charlie Haden, who the following year helped him get greater attention on the world jazz festival scene. While Rubalcaba recorded early dates for the Messidor label, he found his full stride with Blue Note, which signed him in 1990, three years before the pianist was finally able to move to the U.S.

    Rubalcaba has recorded nine albums for Blue Note, including such classics as Discovery: Live at Montreux and The Blessing. He has consistently, and tastefully, sought to improvisationally link his heritage with jazz throughout his career. “It has been the goal of my musical life to find forms, harmonies and rhythms that would embody the sources and nuances of Cuban culture,” Rubalcaba says, “by pouring tradition and [the contemporary] into a universal setting, ‘messing’ with genres, rhythmic codes, spices and ingredients from the musical cocina criolla.”


    Rubalcalba’s new CD, Solo, is a sumptuous and provocative collection of solo piano works. On it he not only explores Afro-Cuban themes but also improvisationally pays homage to John Coltrane (“Giant Steps”) and frequent collaborator Haden (“Night Fall”). “The intention of this disc is the same as my previous albums: to keep searching and finding,” says Rubalcaba, who adds that playing solo is the greatest challenge for a pianist. “Appearing solo obligates you to talk to yourself, announce and denounce yourself…making clear the components that form oneself as a thinking individual.”

     

    — Dan Ouellette

    Gonzalo Rubalcaba piano