Alto En La Fiebre De La Rumba (A Calm in the Fire of Dances) [Audio CD] Deep Rumba

This is a sequel to 1998's Esta Noche En Una Rumba, and it's another profound investigation of the roots and possibilities of Afro-Cuban rhythms and the rumba tradition by producer Kip Hanrahan and drummer Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez. Hanrahan is a master at creating studio fireworks by mixing and matching percussionists. Here, he often has Hernandez and Robbie Ameen anchoring the rhythmic dialogue with two drum kits. He then adds congas, coros, and timbales and elaborates the seething, pulsating results with tenor saxophonist Charles Neville and several vocalists who cover the sensual and the ceremonial. Haila Monpie is especially good on the driving "Quimbara 2000." Along with the potent drum-centric tracks, a series of brief musical vignettes takes the CD in different directions. Xiomara Lougart's voice is breathily intimate on the unaccompanied "Besame Mucho," and there's warm tenor-bass dialogue between Neville and Andy Gonzalez on "Science of Voodoo." The concluding mix of telephone conversation and percussion sculptures signals another direction altogether. This is passionate, fiery work that plumbs a tradition and breaks new ground. --Stuart Broomer