Cyrille, Andrew & Haitian Fascination – “Route De Freres” – [TUM Records Oy]

humana   5/27/2013   CD, Jazz

This is a rich, accessible jazz experience, a tribute to drummer Cyrille’s memories of a visit to his parents’ birthplace when he was seven years old. The three parts to the music named after one of the streets, “Route De Freres,” summon happy memories of times spent with his aunt and uncle, and his imagining of how Manhattan would have felt to his parents at the time they emigrated there (and that one–7–really does swing!). Pascal’s standout acoustic guitar shines throughout, but especially on 3. Bluiett’s sax is awesome on 6 and 4 (read liner notes about how 4 is a love song to a Rio de Janeiran dancer), and Atkinson’s double bass adds greatly to 8. Augustin joins Cyrille on 11 for an amazing percussion duo, and his vocals deliver the folk tale on 12. Really a fantastic jazz expression of Cyrille’s Haitian roots, and a must-listen!