JESUS
DIAZ
Jardinero
(Bombo Music)
El
Jardinero Del Nuevo Milenio
In the 1950s Orquesta Aragón did a tune called
"Jardinero Del Amor" about a gardener who
sows love by tending his roses carefully. Now almost
half a century later a new millennium "Jardinero"
arrives in the presence of Jesus Diaz, the multi-talented
percussionist, vocalist, composer and bandleader of
QBA. He too sings about his beauties and shares the
message: if you don’t water your flowers they wilt
and die.
Diaz
and the QBA family have worked hard to cultivate a contemporary
garden of
Afro-Cuban swing. One of the first purveyors of Timba
in the US, the ensemble broke ground in 1999 at La Peña
Cultural Center in Berkeley and is now one of the top
salsa bands in the San Francisco Bay Area. Original
songs, potent coros, Jesus’ suave low-key vocals
distinguish the overall ensemble sound but drums are
at the heart of this tropical cornucopia.
Shoulder-to-shoulder
with longtime socio (associate) Manuel Velasco, this
la Habana homeboy has turned the soil planting and nurturing
the seeds of his dreams. At a time when people were
basking in the nostalgia of the Buena Vista Social Club,
Diaz had already gone through his son phase with Conjunto
Céspedes. When he popped out on the Oaktown Irawo
album singing, the seasoned rumbero signaled
he was destined to be more than a side musician.
His
songs are the blossom of his creativity and sings about
life with the lyrical wisdom of the Cuban son. Sharing
recollections of his neighborhood in La Habana to his
Oakland realities, his words ride on a percolating bed
of dance hall virtuosity that provoke you to move and
gyrate those "shaky, shaky" hip movements
that characterize the generational Cuban phenomenon
called Timba.
Timba has roots in the Songo movement of Juan Formell
y Los Van Van, a fusion of son changüi and American
pop. Timberos updated these ideas in the ‘90 with
US funk and rap. But the essence of Timba is the exchange
it creates between band and audience. The engagement
and participation makes the experience memorable and
it is obvious on "Jardinero" that Jesus Diaz
y sú QBA possess the youthful magnetism to ignite
those electrifying vibrations.
"Jardinero" is an organically grown delight
of contemporary Cuban dance hall flavors that show Diaz
coming of age as a songwriter and producer. Like the
rose in Spanish Harlem, he is cultivating a musical
"Chirimoya" tree in Oakland of sweet tropical
delights. A top-notch effort, I would not expect less
from Jesus and Manolo who with Bombo Music are presenting
exceptional Latin music from the Bay Area.
Jesse "Chuy" Varela
Music Director - KCSM FM 91
Freelance writer/contributor Latin Beat & Jazz Times
Magazine.
Editor's
Pick:
Jesús Diaz continues to push the envelope. Since
its inception in 1999, Diaz Y QBA developed a sophisticated,
highly refined, style of salsa that combined elements
of folklore, jazz, son and urban hip hop.(His 1999 release,
Caramelo, featured some urban elements, Listen to "24/7")
Now, with this new project, Mr. Diaz fully embraces
the complexities of the timba style -- and doesn't look
back. This seems a likely direction, as he had all the
elements in place.
A
west coast based Cubano, percussionist and vocalist
Jesus Diaz has an easy, relaxed style that has more
in common with the orchestra of, say, Isaac Delgado
than with Charanga Habanera. The quality of the musicians
is top notch -- he has Roberto Carcasses Jr. on piano,
for example. The craftsmanship seems to be taken more
seriously here than your typical timba band these days.
Timba is considered by many to be party music, with
frenetic, complex, rhythms -- its melding of songó,
pop, funk and rap. But here's timba that can be appreciated
by even the more seasoned, educated listener.
There
is much more timba to be heard these days -- certainly
enough to allow for the cream to begin to rise. It is
interesting that this one originated here, in the U.S.
It is, folks, Highly Recommended."
Bruce Polin
Descarga.com,
June 20, 2003 |
