Viaje a la Amistad: La Habana, Paris, Caracas

The trope of a viaje a la amistad – a ‘journey to friendship’ – is integral to Latin American music, so often a response to migration and exile. This gentle, soulful release celebrates a 20-year friendship between Orlando ‘Maraca’ Valle of Havana, Orlando Poleo of Caracas and Parisian musician Gérard Naulet, who invited his amigos to make the trip to record in Normandy. In France, Naulet is a respected jazz pianist, known for his Latin leanings. There are moments on the album that veer towards hotel music – a bit too light and polite. But on the best tracks, the swing increases, the piano shifts between light and dark, Poleo's percussion finds its driving pulse and Valle's flute, in particular, leads the trio on a sinuous journey. Seven further musician friends help out, including three bassists, two trumpeters, a sax player and a percussionist on timbales. It's not so much that the band is always tight as that a virtuosic looseness lets the invitees come and go with grace. A warm and wise rendezvous.