Roberto Fonseca, tour review: Dancing in the aisles to celebrate Cuba

This was a celebration not of himself but of Cuba, says Simon Broughton
Piano great: Roberto Fonseca
Robin Little/Redferns
Simon Broughton14 March 2017

Roberto Fonseca is one of the world’s great pianists and one of the finest of Cuba’s new generation of musicians.

He came to fame stepping in for the amazing Rubén González in the Buena Vista Social Club tours, but has since forged his own dextrous path in classy Afro-Cuban jazz. He was in London to play music from his latest album, ABUC (that’s Cuba backwards), released at the end of last year.

It’s been called a “snapshot of Cuba’s past, present and future” and he’s with accomplished musicians to present it: a three-piece horn section on trumpet and saxes, percussion, drums and bass. As a portrait of Cuba, it’s Afro-Cuban heavy. The Contradanza Del Espíritu doesn’t really evoke European danzón as I guess is intended, but Abakua is deeply Afro-Cuban with its spectacular djembe solo from Adel González and stabbing horns at the end.

Throughout, Fonseca is a congenial host at the piano. His playing is elegant, fluid and precise and he avoids self-indulgent solos. This is a celebration not of himself but of Cuba. The audience were very ready to dance and he should have initiated that earlier in the set. He was joined by singer Abrahan Aristilde for the last three numbers when things really began to party. Leading something like a street parade of his musicians into the audience was a great way to finish.

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