|
contents | jazz | |||||||||||||
| Pianist Axel Tosca Celebrates His New Self-titled CD Axel Tosca, the Cuban-born, New York-based piano virtuoso, brings the music from his self-titled ALFI Records album of contemporary jazz with a global reach to life at a one-night only concert on Thursday, July 28, 7:00 pm, at National Sawdust, 80 North 6th Street in Williamsburg/Brooklyn. Making his concert debut as a bandleader while performing the music from his new album live in concert for the first time ever, Tosca will be joined by drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts, bassist Josh Crumbly and a host of special guests from around the world. Tosca was born into a musical family. His mother is internationally-acclaimed singer Xiomara Laugart, known as "The Voice of Cuba." His father is singer/songwriter Albert Tosca. Since the age of seven, when Axel shifted his focus from guitar to piano, he has absorbed a variety of musical styles from Cuban hip hop to Latin jazz through studies at some of Cuba's most prestigious music schools. After relocating to the United States in 2005, he performed for two years in the Las Vegas show "Cuban Night." Though steeped in jazz traditions, Axel doesn't look like a cerebral jazz composer in a dark flannel suit. With a shock of day-glow yellow hair (or sometimes red) standing straight up and a matching goatee pointed straight down, he looks more like a madcap scientist experimenting with things that could potentially bubble up. "Axel Tosca" is a clearly thought out, richly-scored addition to contemporary jazz, incorporating beats from around the world woven into soulful, melodic and complicated structures. The nine tracks on "Axel Tosca" are a virtual culinary tour of Latin America, Africa, Asia and American funk rhythms. They include "Accent, " "Siboney, " "One for Grew, " (by Robert Glasper), "Fulani in Love, " "Hologram, " "Afri Asia, " "Estrella, " "Vibe" and "3Rio." write your comments about the article :: © 2016 Jazz News :: home page |