Classical Sounds
Rich and lustrous works delight listeners.
By Mark Holston

Argentinean tenor Marcelo Alvarez delivers a riveting, heartfelt performance on his new Sony Classical release The Tenor’s Passion, demonstrating with verve and supreme confidence why he has risen to the upper echelon of the world’s top operatic voices of today. Young, charismatic, possessing movie star good looks, and blessed with a heaven-sent voice, the Córdoba native is mesmerizing on this program of handpicked arias by Puccini, Lalo, Bizet, Strauss, and other leading opera composers. Accompanied by the Dresden City Orchestra, Alvarez’s rich, emotive voice soars over a lustrous carpet of strings, woodwinds, and brass on such classic fare as Francesco Cilea’s “Lamento de Federico” and Amilcare Ponchinelli’s “Cielo e Mar.” Alvarez’s stunning performance is one of the reasons classic opera is currently enjoying such a strong renaissance.

Another masterful release that boasts classical qualities and world-class artistry is Land of the Sun (Verve) by bassist Charlie Haden and pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba. Dedicated to the legacy of Mexican bolero composer José Sabre Marroquín, the restful session also features such top-flight musicians as flutist Oriente López, saxophonist Miguel Zenón, and drummer Ignacio Berroa.

arroquín was a contemporary and friend of Agustín Lara, but never attained his countryman’s fame. It’s only recently that the beauty of Marroquín’s lovely melodies, with their rich chamber music qualities, has become more widely appreciated. Complementing Marroquín’s works are Lara’s “Solamente una vez” and “Esta tarde vi llover” by Armando Manzanero, a former student of the late composer.

Dominican pianist Michel Camilo adroitly combines the pensive, technically brilliant style he has perfected on his classical music projects and the harmonically rich, rhythmically attuned playing that has distinguished his jazz recordings on Solo (Telarc). His first solo effort includes handpicked favorites drawn from his own creations, jazz standards, and works by contemporary Brazilian composers. Camilo’s overall low-key approach to the program draws the listener in, exposing the inner beauty of such seldom-heard masterworks as Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Luiza” and the pianist’s own Cuban-rooted “Reflections.”
Classic African music idioms, which are the foundation of virtually every style that has evolved in the Caribbean for the past five centuries, are reverentially explored by master percussionist John Santos y El Coro Folklórico Kindembo on Para Ellos (Machete Records). Layers of voices and tropical rhythms embellish and celebrate such traditional styles as yambú, bembé, and the seldom-heard guarapachangueo (available at www.johnsantos.com).

NEW RELEASES

Back to the Road, Sonora Ponceña (Pianíssimo).The classic sound of one of Puerto Rico’s most hallowed dance bands is characteristically bold and brassy on this 13-track feast of salsa pura. Pianist and leader Enrique “Papo” Lucca turns conga player Willito López loose for a nice romp on “Con tres tambores batá” and renders a flashy, salsa-style rework of “Mack The Knife,” and turns the jazz standard “Nica’s Dream” into a stylish Latin jazz foray.

Clasiqueando, Cambalache (Cambalache). Vocalist Pancho Chávez and two fellow Peruvians anchor this hard-hitting Seattle, Washington-based salsa group. Melcochita, Peru’s star sonero, guests on one track, but it is the band’s high energy, Eddie Palmieri-style arrangements and incendiary rhythms that make the session click. (Available from the group’s website, www.cambalachesalsa.com).

Cuando Sale un Lucero, Lucero (EMI Latin). Mexican pop diva and telenovela star Lucero opts for a pure mexicana sound on a release that ranges from such playful, tongue-in-cheek fare as “El cable,” a happy cumbia, and the Alberto Domínguez bolero classic “No llores” to such elegant, sentimental, string-drenched, mariachi-flavored works as José Alfredo Jiménez’s “Cuando sale la luna” and Ricardo Arjona’s “Entre la espada y la pared.” Lucero’s shimmering voice and interpretative prowess are perfect for these nostalgic gems.

Poncho at Montreux, Poncho Sánchez (Concord Picante). This DVD captures conguero Sánchez and his explosive band, plus guest vibraphonist Dave Samuels, live in concert at the famed Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Multi-camera footage of “Watermelon Man,” “Conmigo,” and six other winning performances is augmented by vignettes of rehearsals and the insights of Edward James Olmos, critic Chuy Varela, former band mates, and the leader himself. Overall excellent sound quality and up-close camera work draw the viewer into the heady world of Sánchez’s funky cha-chas and Latin soul.