Spirits of Havana

Canadian flutist and soprano saxophonist Jane Bunnett traveled to Cuba and immersed herself in the island's music to make this CD, combining other Canadian musicians with a host of gifted Cubans. Guided by senior percussionist Guillermo Barreto on timbales, the result is a genuine exploration of what is most distinctive and valuable in Cuban music and the special relationship of its African elements to jazz. The traditions come together most fully in Gonzalo Rubalcaba's exploration of Thelonious Monk's "Epistrophy," but there are numerous delights here, from Bunnett's immersion in Cuban rhythms to the enchanting singing of Merceditas Valdes on several traditional songs in Yoruba dialect. --Stuart Broomer