Rating:
Genre:
Jazz
Release Date: 03/26/1991
Run Time: 53:10
One of the most exciting major-label debuts during the 1990s was
Gonzalo Rubalcaba's
Discovery, a trio date at the 1990
Montreux Jazz Festival with bassist
Charlie Haden and drummer
Paul Motian.
Haden had discovered the young pianist during an appearance in Cuba several years earlier and was surprised at his level of development considering his extremely limited access to hearing
jazz greats on record or in person.
Rubalcaba's spellbinding take of
Thelonious Monk's
"Well You Needn't" only begins to hint at his virtuosity; in an up-tempo setting he segues from
bop into
Latin with flashes of the
avant-garde in a breathtaking performance. The young man also contributed the lovely ballad
"Velas," the alternately intense and playful piano solo
"Prologo Comienzo," as well as a captivating tribute to his young son,
"Joao." Both
Haden and
Motian provide strong support for
Rubalcaba, who didn't just rest on the laurels of this highly recommended CD but followed up with several more top-notch CDs for
Blue Note during the remainder of the decade.
~Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
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