Album Of The Week: Akokan, Roberto Fonseca

Akokan
Roberto Fonseca
Justin Time Records
At one time, Jazz existed as popular music; once it was pushed out of the popular spotlight by other types of music, the integration of pop ideas into jazz always spurred controversy. Traditionalists tried to push jazz away from the popular sphere into the art music world, but in reality, the line between traditional jazz and contemporary popular music continues to slowly erode. As more artists cross the line between these two realms, their approaches define the artistic level of their music. Some artists have tried to make serious artistic statements using rock rhythms and popular aesthetics; Herbie Hancock often embraces popular songs, creating ingenious modern jazz arrangements of the original material. This attempt at fusing pop and jazz results in amazing music and provides a serious legitimacy to potential combinations. Other artists simply make instrumental pop music for the masses, turning away traditionalists and confusing the general public. Latin Jazz experiences these same types of cross-pollinations between art and pop music worlds, as artists and audience members both seamlessly blur jazz and dance music. This creates a precarious situation for modern Latin Jazz artists reaching for something different. If they try to integrate aesthetics of contemporary popular music into their statements, they have to do so carefully and methodically in order to create an approach that has depth and meaning. Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca brings together a mixture of jazz harmonies, Latin rhythms, and pop lyricism on Akokan, an appealing release filled with thoughtful integrity.

Anchoring Modern Jazz With A Cuban Foundation
Fonseca anchors his statement with a group of modern jazz performances with a foundation in Cuban music. A dramatic series of breaks leads into a racing melody from Fonseca on “Lento Y Despacio,” framed by lush chordal patches floating over an uptempo rumba. Fonseca charges into his improvisation with unrestrained abandon, matching the rhythm section’s intensity with long strings of rapid runs, syncopated rhythms, and a percussive attack. As he brings his solo to a close, Fonseca runs sparse ideas through a backdrop of only drums and percussion, invoking a furious musical conversation. As drummer Ramsés Rodriguez maintains a lone clave in the background, Fonseca plays quiet, introspective melody on “Cuando Uno Crece,” leading into a tense arrangement filled with interesting colors from the rhythm section. As the group disappears, bassist Omar González establishes a traditional vamp, and as Rodriguez joins with an interesting brush pattern, Fonseca leaps into his improvisation. The pianist displays a keen ability to mix jazz and Cuban influences, combining long fluid melodic lines and sharp rhythmic tipico ideas into an inspiring statement. Fonseca creates a somber and serious tone with a dark and understated introduction, leading into respectfully reverent interpretation of “Drume Negrita” from the pianist and clarinet player Javier Zalba. As the rhythm section opens into a forward motion, Zalba wraps playful bluesy melodies around the groove, finding a spirited soul to his improvisation. Fonseca moves into his solo thoughtfully, building a engagingly coherent statement upon the main theme, full of lyrical beauty. Fonseca displays a creative skill to produce inspired music in a modern Latin Jazz setting, moving through these pieces with style and ease.

Balancing Pop, Jazz, And Latin Rhythms
Several pieces find a balance between the aesthetics of popular music, jazz harmonies, and Latin rhythms. Fonseca tenderly interprets an uplifting melody unaccompanied on “Lo Que Me Hace Vivir” before setting up a gospel tinged groove which signals an enthusiastic entrance from the rhythm section. Fonseca revisits the melody, infusing it with a new lift through the help of a loose funky groove, before he bursts into a driving improvisation. As Fonseca moves further into his own statement, the rhythmic backdrop becomes more Cuban and he boldly explores tense harmonic colors. Fonseca places a simple and elegant melody over a sparse and richly colorful vamp on “Como en Las Películas,” as the rhythm section helps him create dramatic dynamic shape. González takes a lyrical approach to his improvisation, unassumingly constructing lyrically solid melodies against the harmony. Fonseca utilizes the contrast between space and sharp precise articulations to build tension in his solo, stretching into longer, more powerful lines. The rhythm section implies a steady groove with subtle shades as Fonseca carefully introduces the major melody on “La Flor Que No Cuidé,” soon joined on flute by Zalba. Gliding melodic runs interspersed with short percussive attacks help shape Zalba’s ideas into a full statement which rises and falls against the waves of color from the rhythm section. Fonseca utilizes a wide dynamic range on his improvisation, using textural contrast, dissonance, rapid flurries of chromatic runs, and a hard attack to push towards a strong climax. Fonseca frames easily digestible melodies that reflect the pop world with interesting harmonies and an improvisational jazz flair that make these songs both commercially viable and artistically engaging.

Strengthening The Bond With Vocalists
A number of vocalists join Fonseca’s group on some tracks, making a stronger bond with the popular world without loosing a connection to jazz. Vocalist Mayra Andrade and Fonseca travel through an elegantly simple melody over a sparse percussion backdrop on “Siete Potencias (Bu Kantu),” before the full sound of the rhythm section fills the space beneath the melody. González utilizes the full range of his instrument to construct lyrical lines with a forward push from strong syncopations. Fonseca performs with a intelligent restrain, creating slight tension with off-set repeated rhythms that lead smartly back into Andrade’s vocal. Abrupt attacks from the full band give way into Zalba’s funky repeated baritone sax riff and Rodriguez’s strutting second line feel, giving “El Ritmo De Tus Hombres,” the sensation of a New Orleans party. A screaming voice sends the group into high gear, as González lays down a thick bass line and Fonseca explodes into his improvisation. The pianist attacks the funky groove with sharp bursts of chordal sounds, pushing the song forward with bluesy articulations. The group provides a calm and unobtrusive background to Raul Midón’s English vocal on “Everyone Deserves A Second Chance,” working together with the singer to create a pop-tinged jazz approach. Fonseca wanders through the changes with slinky chromatic lines that remain lyrical with an edgy touch of dissonance. After a quick return to the melody, Midón jumps into a tasty guitar solo that integrates a Wes Montgomery influence, providing a nice sonic change in the song. The inclusion of vocals on these pieces adds a popular appeal to Fonseca’s work, but the performances remain strongly rooted in jazz ideals.

A Beautiful Combination Of Musical Aesthetics
Fonseca creates a beautiful combination of musical aesthetics on Akokan that smoothly brings together the strong points of jazz, pop music, and Latin rhythms. As a composer, Fonseca focuses upon simplicity and grace in his melodic content, giving his music a memorable and accessible quality. He adorns these attractive melodies with rich and modern chordal support, adding a distinct jazz quality to the compositions. Underneath this rich tapestry, Fonseca’s rhythm section liberally interprets Cuban structures with a touch of jazz freedom. This thoughtful blend of ideas reflects a Herbie Hancock influence, and like Hancock, Fonseca balances each pop quality with a jazz rooted artistic integrity. As a pianist, Fonseca reveals a connection to the modern jazz world, but at the same time, his touch and feel signals the influence of Cuban performers such as Chucho Valdes. He strikes an interesting balance as he improvises, generally starting from a modern lyricism, but always finding a way into an undeniably Cuban sense of phrasing. Fonseca’s use of vocalists adds a nice tonal color to the work, but never takes away from his main concept, always finding a blend between musical worlds. There’s a strong combination of musical elements on Akokan that consistently compliment each other musically and never strain the product artistically, making one more solid argument for thoughtful blends between jazz, pop, and Latin music.

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