Pepesito Reyes

Pepesito Reyes spent the 1940s in New York City playing clubs like the Café Metropolis, where he made fast friends with admirers like Duke Ellington. Of all jazz musicians, Ellington was usually the object of admiration, not vice versa. Reyes also bewitched musicians such as Nat King Cole and Tito Puente, when they first heard his bold blend of majestic, yet spicy danzón, or Cuban dance music. Reyes is a true romantic in the best sense of the word and dances musically on this album, with the accompaniment of a cavalcade of extremely capable musicians. Anibal Ávila and Adonis Machado especially, add trumpet flare to the compositions, and act as the perfect foil for Reyes as he positively jumps through each song with an energy and verve that belies his 85 years.

Cole Porter’s Begin the Beguine starts this disk, and this moody number does indeed seem to “bring back a night of tropical splendor,” as Reyes’ lyrical piano practically sings the words to the classic, jazz standard. Beatriz Márquez fades into Como Arrullo de Palmas like the diva you’ve always dreamed of and the intensity builds, by turns soft and elegant and then more forceful and upbeat. Escucha mi Piano finds Reyes indulging in flourishes and wisecracks that never seem out of place, as he stakes his claim, alongside Rubén González, as grandmaster of Cuban piano.

I can now add Mami Me Gustó to the list of things that I like, as this cut is the standout of the album. Sitting back and closing your eyes to this song brings a Cuban street party to life on a perfect summer day. Anibal Ávila and Adonis Machado make this song a mysterious trumpet masterpiece. Each cut, in fact, is a tiny, nostalgic gem, as Reyes riffs and moves to a crescendo toward La Guantanamera.

This song is so familiar (think hard and it will come to you) that kids on the playground used to hum its melody replacing the lyrics with nonsense words, as I remember. Of course, the real test of any art form is the test of time, and this CD is a nostalgic trip back to some, but to jazz aficionados Reyes’ sound is as unmistakable as a habanero on the tongue.