Cuban legend Roberto Fonseca - New album 'La Gran Diversión' out now
"Fonseca is a famously eclectic artist, his playing steeped in American jazz and African music as much as the rhythms of bolero and son." 5/5 The Guardian
“Fonseca is one of the world’s great pianists and one of the finest of Cuba’s new generation of musicians” 4/5 Evening Standard
“One of the most gifted, adventurous spirits of his generation.” The Observer
“An artist of real stature.” 4/5 Jazzwise
"By matching tradition with experiment, Fonseca has become one of the most exciting musicians in the new Cuban scene." BBC Music
"Fonseca takes experimentation further, forging a tumbling mix of electro and analogue sounds and creating an absorbing, textured showcase for some extraordinary musicianship" 4/5 Metro
“Fonseca is on a one-man mission to rescue Cuban music from its post-Buena Vista arthritic doldrums.” 4/5 Financial Times
'Sensuous, fresh, modern - Roberto Fonseca brings the piano dazzlingly to life' Daily Telegraph
Grammy-nominated Cuban legend Roberto Fonseca has released his new album 'La Gran Diversión' today via Wagram Music. On the new album, the virtuoso pianist and former member of the Buena Vista Social Club looks back at Cuba's roaring Twenties and Cuban musical tradition and effortlessly carries them into the modern days.
WATCH VIDEO FOR 'BAILA MULATA'
Fonseca has been at the forefront of Cuban music for over 20 years, releasing a catalogue of acclaimed solo albums between joining the legendary Buena Vista Social Club, touring with crooner Ibrahim Ferrer (1927 – 2005) then with singer Omara Portuondo. His 2007 album 'Zamazu' proved him a performer/composer in his own right. 2012’s Grammy-nominated 'Yo' featured guests including Fatoumata Diawara, the Malian star with whom Fonseca subsequently embarked on an acclaimed live collaboration and performs on her latest album 'London Ko'. Roberto's last album, the universally applauded 'Yesun', was released in 2019, the same year he was made Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, the highest artistic distinction in France.
At the pinnacle of his career, Roberto Fonseca unveils La Gran Diversión, a tribute to Cuban music’s golden era, wild nights in La Havana and to Cabane Cubaine Paris’ most famous cabaret of the ‘30s : a truly unique experience poured into an album enhanced by the accompanying live performance where Fonseca’s audacity is combined with an orchestra on par with the Buena Vista’s. It’s a subtle blend of tradition inherited from his musical training working alongside the greats, his unparalleled talent and a dash of unbridled modernity.
Whether you are familiar or not with the moves and steps of the Mambo, Rumba or Bolero, the urge to sway to the melodies played by an artist considered to have breathed a new life into Cuban music, will be irresistible.
ROBERTO FONSECA ON TOUR
27/09/23 Festival Biarritz Amérique, France
15/10/23 Festival Belen Beaune, France
21/10/23 Nîmes Metropole Jazz, France
02/11/23 Oslo World – Oslo, Norway
04/11/23 Palladium – Malmo, Sweden
10/11/23 L'Éclat Pont-Audemet, France
24/11/23 Éclats d'Émail - Limoges, France
25/11/23 Salle du Vigean Eysines, France
26/11/23 Le Bouef Sur Le Toit - Lons Le Saunier, France
01/12/23 La Paloma Barcelona, Spain
03/12/23 Teatro Eslava Madrid, Spain
05/12/23 Olympia – Paris, France
09/12/23 Le Channel - Calais, France
01/02/24 Du Blue en Hiver Brive, France
03/02/24 Le 106 Rouen, France
LISTEN/BUY 'LA GRAN DOVERSIÓN' HERE
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