This April exceptional Cuban musician and composer Roberto Fonseca described by the Western music critics as “the man has soul” will present his new album “YO” and a concert program with the same name to the Russian audience. The performance of Roberto Fonseca in Russia is organized by the Musical Olympus Foundation for the third time and will take place on April, 15 at the St Petersburg Music Hall Theatre and on April, 16 at the Moscow Club “Reka”.
The new album of this vibrant and charismatic musician pays homage to the traditions of the Cuban carnival. Thanks to the emotional leader Roberto Fonseca’s band transforms into a comparsa – traditional Cuban amateur band that parades the streets. At the same time the new work of Roberto Fonseca is extremely intimate, so the name of the album is chosen accordingly: YO in Spanish means “I” or “me”.
“On YO, I want to delve deep into my roots in light of my experiences and show the diversity of my musical universe,” says the musician and composer. “In my new album I gathered all these ideas which I had put aside, unable to use until now.”
Fonseca’s influence on the modern Cuban jazz and jazz as a genre is undeniable, but in the new album the musician proves that his artistic horizons are not limited by this genre only. This time Roberto Fonseca’s rich musical palette is full of contrasts. Instead of the usual jazz quintet in YO Fonseca explores a new concept blending traditional acoustic instruments with elements of electronic, as well as African and Cuban musical styles. The band also saw some changes: alongside the well-known Joel Hierrezulo on percussion and Ramses Rodriguez on drums it features Jorge Chicoy on electric guitar, Yandy Martínez on bass and Sekou Kouyate on kora.
“During our many years of experience we formulated the fundamental idea that guides the work of the Foundation - “Music is the universal language of mankind,” says President of the Musical Olympus Foundation Irina Nikitina. “And the “Welcome” Festival that we organized in autumn of 2012 within the "Dialogue of Civilizations" Forum on the island of Rhodes is a clear proof to that. It gathered the participants representing different countries and performing in various genres - country, world classic, Russian folk music, flamenco, and jazz. Roberto Fonseca’s new album “YO” is yet another wonderful example of the uniting force of music as it is a collective effort of 15 musicians coming from different cultures”.
French “Jazz News” edition named “YO” among 10 best jazz albums of 2012. And The Sunday Times in UK placed the new work of the Cuban jazzman with African roots #3 on its Top 10 World Albums of 2012. The newspaper described Fonseca as “multifaceted virtuoso, soulful as well as quick-fingered”. YO was also critically acclaimed by the British ‘The Guardian’, French ‘Le Monde’ and other foreign media.
“We profoundly study the impact of music on people and can state that Cuban music impacts all people positively, as it is the music of pure and kind people who enjoy life in spite of some temporary difficulties,” underlines Irina Nikitina. “No wonder that today when Cuba embraced the way to openness, the popularity and weight of Cuban jazz increased worldwide”.