Tags

Pedro Bermudez, No-Limits
Pedro Bermudez -][- No Limits – (Pedro Bermudez, 2010)
The energy contained in the body and soul of pianist Pedro Bermudez far exceeds that which may normally be given mere mortals. For his hands and arms are infused with a surfeit of tumbao. In his heart, the echoes of the timbales and the congas bounce excitedly against every internal surface. It is this incredible treasure of rhythm that flavours what he expends through his fingers on the ivories. More importantly, it is this that provides impetus for him to expand his energy like the ripples in a still sea that he plunges into with all the incredible weight of his skills in every aspect of Afro-Caribbean music. This is why his energy is so infectious and cannot be contained in a smaller ensemble, especially not on No Limits, an album that sits somewhere between the Atlantic islands of Puerto Rico and the deepest part of the Caribbean, in the eye of the Afro-Caribbean Hurricane of sorts, so to speak.
Although his proclivities tend more towards urban jazz with a Latin tinge, Bermudez has too much tumbao in his heart and hands to pass up on the Latin idioms and forms altogether. However, in the context of the larger ensemble, this rather tends to be buried and will only come to the fore on charts where his piano is sparingly accompanied by a thick layer of percussion, such as on songs like “El Jarriero” where Richie Flores and Vince Cherico provide that thunderous bed of ritmo, or in “Bombaião” where the exuberant percussion of Duduka Da Fonseca creates dancing rhythms from the Northeast of Brasil. It is then that Bermudez lets it all hang out and appears to fall prey to the charms of his alter ego—that one that lets all control go and when tumbao sets in. —Raul da Gama | LatinJazzNet.com
At you leisure, check out the complete review by Raul da Gama.
..:: Source: LatinJazzNet.com ::..