fri 06/12/2024

Albums of the Year 2017: Daymé Arocena - Cubafonia | reviews, news & interviews

Albums of the Year 2017: Daymé Arocena - Cubafonia

Albums of the Year 2017: Daymé Arocena - Cubafonia

Sumptuous survey of Cuban song wears its learning lightly

Dayme Arocena: a career at its launchpad moment

All things considered, there aren’t many criteria by which this album, however cosmopolitan its influences, sensitive and precise its vocals and supple its rhythms, is really the best of the year.

I’ve had a few sleepless nights recently over the growing suspicion that, for example, Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN, and several contemporary jazz recordings  to mention only what I’ve been following closely  do more that’s landmark-constructingly novel. It’s unlikely, come 2042, that Cubafonia will feature in one of those vox-pop retrospectives that populate the BBC Two schedules with such fecundity as one of the sounds of 2017.

On the other hand, it is very likely she will still be loved, listened to and learned from in 2042 as a model of intelligent, creative music-making. Arocena has classical training from one of Cuba’s prestigious academies, yet sings as if she has grown up with Cuban folk and pop. Cubafonia isn’t ostentatious, yet extends capaciously from slick, bubbly Cuban pop into Latin jazz and more specialised areas of Cuban traditional song such as changüí, in which the original blend of Spanish guitar and Bantu percussion can still be heard.

The musical and religious practice of santería are evident in, among others, the opening track “Eleggua”, a Yoruba greeting to the orisha, a divine spirit. This is followed by “La Rumba Me Llamo Yo”, a form with a range of African traditions. There are reminders, too, in tracks such as “Mambo Na’ Mà”, with its smouldering, funky swing, that Cuban traditions are cousins of New Orleans. Arocena has assimilated such an impressive range of musical cultures into an entirely plausible and engaging vernacular that it doesn’t feel like a work of ethnomusicology, even though it some respects it is.

Daymé Arocena  still only in her mid-twenties  is widely regarded as Cuba’s best singer, and recently has benefited from exposure and development offered by Gilles Peterson’s Havana Cultura Project. A recording of this quality is a testament to Peterson’s project. We are still at the launchpad stage of what will inevitably become a stellar singing career, with potential for astonishing collaborations. 2042 here we come!

@matthewwrighter

It doesn’t feel like a work of ethnomusicology, even though it some respects it is

rating

Editor Rating: 
5
Average: 5 (1 vote)

Share this article

Add comment

The future of Arts Journalism

 

You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!

We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d

And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.

Subscribe to theartsdesk.com

Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.

To take a subscription now simply click here.

And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?

newsletter

Get a weekly digest of our critical highlights in your inbox each Thursday!

Simply enter your email address in the box below

View previous newsletters