April CD of the Month: When Grappelli Meets Latin America

In the liner notes of the new recording of Federico Britos, NEA Jazz Master Paquito D’Rivera states, “I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like Federico Britos, a musician so versatile and charismatic that he’ll get called for a dance, an operetta, a cocktail party, or simply to have a drink in his endearing company and chat in some Miami café.” Some poignant words from one gifted musician to another.  When he was only 5 years old in his native Montevideo, Uruguay Britos began playing violin following in his father’s footsteps. From an early age he demonstrated not only talent for playing the violin, but open ears to soak in a wide variety of music styles, classical, jazz, the Afro-Uruguayan candombe rhythm, Brazilian and Cuban music among others. Before leaving Uruguay he played with the nation’s leading symphony orchestra. After leaving his country of birth, Federico played for symphonies in Venezuela and Perú before landing in Cuba in 1961 where he introduced the bossa nova rhythm sparking a Brazilian movement among Cuban musicians. Britos has toured all over the globe and has composed music for orchestra, chamber ensembles, ballet, theater, TV and films. He currently is the Concertmaster for the Miami Symphony Orchestra.

One of Federico’s passion was the music of le jazz hot and “gypsy jazz”. Over the years he has recorded this type of music as well as releasing traditional Cuban danzón CDs. With all of this music floating around his head, Maestro Britos decided he would put together the first Latin tribute to his hero, Stéphane Grappelli, voila! The Hot Club of the Americas was born and their first recording, When Grappelli Meets Latin America is an amazing hybrid of swingin’ jazz and various Latin rhythms. The Miami native, the up n coming vocalist Cécile McLorin-Salvant appears on 2 tracks, both times singing La Vie En Rose, once in English and once in French. Other guests include Hendrik Meurkens playing harmonica, Giovanni Hidalgo caressing the congas and Gonzalo Rubalcaba on piano. Señor D’Rivera concluded his liner notes with more sage words that I feel compelled to share, “This project gives the impression that Grappelli was Cuban, Reinhardt Brazilian and that the Hot Club of France could very well have been based in Miami’s own Coconut Grove.”