Classic Meets Cuba

Classic Meets Cuba
Label: Sony
Category: Music



Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1


UPC: 827969309025
EAN: 0827969309025
ASIN: B00019PD2A


Release Date: 2004-02-03

Related Categories:

Cuba Cuba
Related | Caribbean & Cuba | International | Styles | Music
General General
Related | International | Styles | Music
General General
Related | Latin Music | Styles | Music
Latin Pop Latin Pop
Related | Latin Music | Styles | Music
General General
Related | Jazz | Styles | Music
Jazz Fusion Jazz Fusion
Related | Jazz | Styles | Music
Latin Jazz Latin Jazz
Related | Jazz | Styles | Music
General General
Related | Pop | Styles | Music
General General
Related | Classical | Styles | Music

Tracks:

  1. Mambozart
  2. Cuban Dance
  3. Danzon De La Trucha
  4. Preludio
  5. Afrolise
  6. Air
  7. Pathetique I
  8. Pathetique II
  9. Pathetique III
  10. Salsa No V
  11. Czardas
  12. Etude
  13. Carmen Cubana
  14. Flight Of The Bumble Bee
  15. Guten Abend
  16. Anthem

Similar Items:

  1. Mozart Meets Cuba
  2. Bach in Brazil
  3. Worldbeat Bach
  4. Jazz Meets Cuba
  5. Classic Meets Cuba: Symphonic Salsa

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Dos ritmos, una música.......2006-10-05

Esta agrupación ha logrado ensamblar magistralmente el son, la salsa, con la música clásica. Una vez que uno escucha a Bach, Beethoven, Mozart reinterpretados por estos alemanes (Klazz Brother) y cubanos (Cuba Percusssion), no podrá concebir de otro modo la obra de estos grandes compositores.

5 out of 5 stars Fantastic collection.......2006-08-24

Like others, I was skeptical when I heard about the idea, but this collection easily won me over. What I find so interesting is that the arrangements are so good, so creative, it's as though these well-known classical pieces were *written* as Cuban music. You find yourself completely accepting this genre-bending experiment.

Extremely enjoyable -- as is their companion album, "Jazz Meets Cuba".

4 out of 5 stars Unlikely Crossover of Cuban Beats with Familiar Classics Yields Mostly Zingy Confection.......2005-12-28

Crossover efforts are always risky ventures that dance precariously between creative and contrived. There is definitely some of the latter on this 2002 recording, but surprisingly, far more of the former as the fruitful teaming of three German classical-jazz musicians and a pair of Cuban percussionist/vocalists puts a hearty Latin-flavored spin on some very familiar classics. Two of the Klazz Brothers, pianist Tobias Forster and bassist Killian Forster, took a fortuitous trip to Cuba and concluded the popular classical pieces they usually played could easily be adapted to the Cuban- and Afro-Cuban Jazz styles.

The beat-heavy results bear them out, as they developed fresh, energetic and lyrical arrangements of standard works by Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Haydn, Chopin, Schubert and others, that still respect the original compositions. The jazzed-up titles aptly (if a bit too preciously) reflect the changes - Mozart's Symphony No. 40 transforms into "Mambozart", Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 becomes "Salsa No. V", and Bizet's Carmen Suite turns into "Carmen Cubana". With titles like those, some of the pieces, perhaps because of their familiarity, come across as a bit too trite, for example, "Afrolise", which sounds bit too cocktail loungey to be too revitalizing a take on Beethoven's "Fýr Elise", and "Guten Abend", which sounds a bit like a somnambulant Vince Guaraldi take on Brahms's original lullaby.

However, the high points are abundant, starting with the three movements of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 8 "Pathýtique," exciting pieces that feel culturally transformed by the sultry romanticism of the Cuban beats crowned by Tobias Forster's virtuoso playing. Also wonderful are the mournful "Czardas" and the conga-accentuated "Flight of the Bumblebee", both dominated by brother Killian's dexterous bass playing. The three others in the quintet are all equally superb musicians - Tim Hahn, the third Klazz Bother on drums, and Alexis Herrera Estevez (timbales) and Elio Rodriguez (congas), both of Cuba Percussion. The vital mix of sounds in what could have been a hopeless misfire makes for a genuinely exhilarating listening experience.

4 out of 5 stars A unique piece of mixed classic/jazzy/south-american music .......2005-07-28

A unique piece of mixed classic/jazzy music which matches wonderfully in my collection. It is trully remarkable to discover the full classical music-education of these performers, which brings them to make this wonderful CD of high-standard music.

4 out of 5 stars Interesting, but need to try harder..........2005-03-27

I found this CD after watching "Collateral". The music sounds very interesting when classic melodies blended with swing and jazz. But they sticked to the originial notes too much. I wish they could have created more variations and improvisation. Also, in this "Classic Meets Cuba" CD, the Cuba part needs to be emphasized more (putting them into a central stage in some tracks; the solo in the Fur Elise track is a good example) rather than treating the percussion beats as peripheral background. Taking the advantage of these vivid beats could further set the musicians free from the original notes. Overall, this is a good CD and is perfect for smooth jazz lover. Hope they can try harder and do more in their up-coming new release-Jazz Meets Cuba.

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