5-star reviews in The Guardian and Jazzism and praise from Downbeat: Roberto Fonseca has made a fair impression with his recent album ABUC (Impulse! Records). As the title implies, it looks back at Cuban music history from present to past, from hip-hop and jazz to son and mambo. Deliberately avoiding clichés, the energetic recordings establish his reputationas a phenomenal pianist.
At age 15 Roberto Fonseca already made his successful debut at the Havana International Jazz Festival. In his twenties he accompanied veterans of the successful Cuban orchestra Buena Vista Social Club, namely Ibrahim Ferrer and Rubén González. Back then his percussive piano playing was already admired by Herbie Hancock. Later on he collaborated with, among others, Omara Portuondo, Fatoumata Diawara and Trombone Shorty .
‘Fonseca is a famously eclectic artist, his playing steeped in American jazz and African music as much as the rhythms of bolero and son, but even by his standards, ABUC is an astonishingly broad, tightly fused and incandescently delivered vision’ (The Guardian, *****).
Roberto Fonseca piano/keys/voice, Ruly Herrera drums, Yandy Martinez bass