Vivencias en Clave Cubana

Kiki Valera is a fantastic cuatro (double-coursed, steel-strung guitar, much like a tres but with one extra string) player. Valera, along with famed vocalist (and childhood friend) Coco Freeman, has delivered 12 original songs that constitute a brilliant debut. Vivencias en Clave Cubana is a fantastic homage to classic salsa. Valera adds some jazz-influenced solos, while Freeman brings a crooning feel to his perfectly executed melodies. The opening track ‘Mi Son’ starts with a cuatro-led guajeo (ostinato riff present in lots of Cuban music), light percussion and soaring vocals from Freeman. After the first verse, the bass brings in a change of harmonic feel. The bass and percussion enter in rhythmic stabs and exit throughout the song, emphasising the groove and leaving space for Valera and Alexis Barós' squeaky trumpet decorations.

Later on in the album, we are offered a different feel with ‘Para Continuar’, which offers interlocking congas and bongos from Pedro Vargas, creating a bubbling texture for Freeman to share a simpler melody. Despite the clear concentration on creating a ‘classic’ salsa sound, there's enough stylistic variation in this album to make it worth listening to from start to finish.