Filmed against the incredible backdrop of the Berkeley Church in Toronto, the series Solos: The Jazz Sessions is like having a private ticket to see some of the most incredible jazz musicians living today. Rubalcaba isn't a name that will spring to your lips when you think about key contributors to the music, but it should. Solos: The Jazz Sessions - Gonzalo Rubalcaba demonstrates the incredible range of Gonzalo Rubalcaba, beginning with his pecking, almost-stride approach to the tune, "Prologo to el Manicero," which is full of halting but rich harmonics. "Supernova" shows that powerful left hand, very strongly influenced by players like McCoy Tyner, but also filled with the machine-gun right hand plucking single-note lines out in rapid succession. "Improvisation #1" sounds as spontaneous as its title, but it betrays the structured approach to improv that this young player takes; it is full of phrases that Rubalcaba seems to have running directly from his head to his hand, as he sings to anticipate what's coming, ending up toying around with musical quotes from the US national anthem. When Rubalcaba first hit the scene, he was undeniably virtuosic, but the final tunes on this session, "Besame Mucho" and "Yolanda Anastasia," give a look at more subtle reharmonization, playing the former tune in a very ethereal fashion, but not at all ironic, with just a few interruptions from those signature staccato right hand lines. He ends on a soft note, with a deliberate, melodic ballad.
Solos: The Jazz Sessions - Gonzalo Rubalcaba is a better introduction to the pianist's style than most of his early work, simply because it shows off the maturity he's gained over the years. It also sounds like he's become more than a collection of borrowed styles, which was a quick-and-dirty assessment of the music he, like many jazz musicians, was playing when he first arrived on the scene. Solos: The Jazz Sessions offers jazz fans a vehicle for appreciating their music that feels big budget and highbrow, rather than relegating us to smoky bars or nosebleed lawn-seats at an annual festival. The high quality production, thoughtful and brief interview moments, and focus on letting these players showcase what they love and do best, is what makes this a special feature series.
