Omar Sosa: Burnin' At The Jazz Bakery

An all too rare appearance of the Grammy Award-nominated pianist Omar Sosa gave his audience plenty of reasons to celebrate at the Jazz Bakery in Culver City, California recently. For starters, Sosa added the the great percussionist/composer/educator, John Santos to his Afreecanos Quartet. But most of all was the excitement, sensitivity and passion that Omar Sosa and his ensemble brought to the music.

Sosa’s unique style of Latin jazz also featured Mozambican electric bassist and vocalist Childo Tomas, and New York-based multi-instrumentalist Peter Apfelbaum. Together, they fused the folkloric with the contemporary, the ancestral with the urban on a few songs from his latest release titled Across the Divide: A Tale of Rhythm and Ancestry as well as songs from his previously released CDs.

A Global Musician with Roots in Afro-Cuban Jazz

Born and raised in Camaguey, Cuba, Omar Sosa studied percussion for many years at the prestigious Escuela Nacional de Musica in Havana. When he couldn't find his first-choice instrument the marimba he began to focus on the piano, finishing his formal studies in 1984 at the Instituto Superior de Arte, also in Havana.

In the late '80's, having studied everything from Afro-Cuban folkloric traditions to European classical music, he began working with two Cuban pop singers - first Vicente Feliu, then Xiomara Laugart and helped jump-start a Cuban hip-hop scene in the early '90's through his collaboration with Cuban rapper Ofill.

Today, Omar Sosa is a global musician, having traveled the world many times over. He draws from each culture that he visits and brings the exciting rhythms to his own Afro-Cuban based mix of jazz and world music.

Sosa Is Both A Visual and Musical Delight

Tonight’s performance was a mix of virtuosity and blended elegance. The ensemble painted broad strokes of creative art that were expressive, full of power and passion, subtlety and grace. The quartet opened with “Glu-Glu” which featured Sosa and Santos dueting seamlessly. With Santos speaking on chekere and Sosa answering in laid back piano tones before exploding in a volley of arpeggios.

Things were more melodic on the second tune, unannounced, but with the familiar sensitivity of Sosa’s delicate piano lines that were replete with his deft touch and graceful riffs along the higher octaves. Beautifully comped by Childo’s bass, the two alternated solos then handed over the spotlight to Apfelbaum who had the audience clamoring for more at the end of the song.

Dressed in a fiery red robe, Sosa is both a visual and musical delight. Leaning left, he fingered the electric keyboard to produce techno-jazz riffs that had the crowd at the edge of their seats. Leaning right, he then pounded out block chords with the side of his hand on the acoustic baby grand. The audience loved the theatrics and detailed fusion of jazz and world music elements and rhythms.

Omar Sosa’s soloing has a robust, tone, recalling his compositional themes from signature tunes such as those heard on Inside. Most breathtaking, though, are his ballads. Possessing a muted, subtle tone at the introduction, Sosa has an emotional romantic side that builds to a stunning coda and climax.

Masterful Improvisations

All the while, master improviser Peter Apfelbaum is blowing his heart out on an array of reed instruments that would take a bonafide ethnomusicologist to define. Childo Tomas exhibits the full range of his bass and guitar, from rhythm accompaniments to his soulful, African beat solos. Thomas, who also appeared on Sosa’s latest recording, introduced the second song and provided a lovely counterpoint with Sosa’s pensive, haunting melody.

On the third song, Santos picked up the tempo with his own riffs, and then the quartet launched into a soulful groove that had audience members in the balconies on their feet! Santos easily lent some of the most exotic percussive instruments to this set which were a showcase in their own right.

Double Standing Ovations

After a standing ovation, the quartet returned for a lovely ballad that had the precise Latin jazz quality that characterizes many of Sosa’s previous ensembles. The finale was met with another standing ovation with the hope that it won’t be another year before the ensemble returns to Southern California. For more information about Omar Sosa, please visit his website at www.omarsosa.com