KEMUEL ROIG

3DISCOVERY Vol 1.

Life in Music Label

Kemuel Roig, piano; Samuel Burgos, upright & electric bass; Juan Armando Diaz, drums. SPECIAL GUEST: Gary Galimidi, guitar.

Kemuel Roig is a brilliant Cuban pianist, composer and arranger who brings excitement and innovation to the world with this new album. His very cultural and personal statement embraces Cuban culture and traditions, blending them with contemporary jazz flavors.  This spicy stew of excellence wets our taste buds with fusion influences, mambos, danzón, boleros and cha-cha-cha rhythms.

Beginning with his original tune, “Reflejos” he and his Cuban trio set the bar and give me a taste of what I am going to hear on this three-dimensional “3Discovery” album.  Roig captures the rhythms and energy of Cuba in his second original composition titled “Conga Jazz.”  Roig’s left hand establishes an infectious rhythm on the piano, while Juan Armando Diaz makes magic on his drums.  Samuel Burgos takes an impressive bass solo. Kemuel Roig follows suit, improvising on the piano with profound musicality. These musicians developed their sound, talent and camaraderie in Cuba’s formidable music conservatory.  They present the listener with eight of Roig’s original compositions and three carefully arranged tunes by famous Cuban composers.

“I have been working on this music for a couple of years. I wanted to record an album with a lot of improvisation, a lot of jazz a lot of virtuosic ideas … but also for people to dance, tap their feet and have fun,” explains Roig in his liner notes.

Their arrangement of “Angelica” composed by Emiliano Salvador is beautiful and full of rhythm.

Another original composition by Kemuel Roig is called “Freedom” and it’s arranged in a fusion jazz mode, with a rhythmic, staccato piano, adding the guitar mastery of special guest, Gary Galimidi.

A tune called “Vida” is plush with Latin rhythms, both percussive and bouncing off Kemuel Roig’s piano execution. Another favorite of mine is “Philotimo (Dedicated to GG)” a tune that projects a beautiful melody played emotionally by Roig. When Samuel Burgos solos on bass, a quiet beauty falls over the arrangement like a purple veil.

“I heard Samuel as an American jazz player, playing the standards and bebop and improvising with the changes, with the harmony, which to me seemed quite rare, since most Cuban musicians don’t have access to much information about jazz,” Roig complimented his bassist.

The trio’s approach to a ballad called “El Secreto De Sus Ojos” is presented tenderly; pensively. Once again, Samuel’s bass solo shines.

Roig discovered his talented drummer through Instagram.  He stumbled upon a video of Diaz performing an array of rhythms in a most extraordinary way. “Juan is one of these drum nerds who can do 20 things at the same time on the drums,” Roig writes in his liner notes.

“This album is all about celebrating life, celebrating the world, what unites us all, the love for one another, and always having fun,” Kemuel Roig states. That pretty much sums it up!

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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