''El Arte del Sabor'' (literally ''The Art of Flavor'') is a jazz album by the Bebo Valdés Trio released in 2001 by

Blue Note Records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by History of the Jews in Germany, German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it deriv ...

. It was recorded and mixed in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

's Current Sounds studios during March 2000. The album features

Bebo Valdés Dionisio Ramón Emilio Valdés Amaro (October 9, 1918 – March 22, 2013), better known as Bebo Valdés, was a Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger. He was a central figure in the golden age of Cuban music, especially due to his big ...

on piano,

Cachao Israel López Valdés (September 14, 1918 – March 22, 2008), better known as Cachao ( ), was a Cuban double bassist and composer. Cachao is widely known as the co-creator of the mambo (music), mambo and a master of the descarga (improvised ...

on double bass, and Carlos "Patato" Valdés on congas. In addition, alto saxophonist

Paquito D'Rivera Francisco de Jesús Rivera Figueras (born 4 June 1948), known as Paquito D'Rivera, is a Cuban-American alto saxophonist, clarinetist and composer. He was a member of the Cuban songo band Irakere and, since the 1980s, he has established him ...

appears as a guest artist in three tracks. The album won the 2002 Latin Grammy Award for Best Traditional Tropical Album as well as the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album.

Background and recording

''El Arte del Sabor'' is Bebo Valdés' third album in his "second career". After remaining mostly inactive since the 1960s, when he defected from

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

and settled in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Valdés experienced a career revival in 1994 with the recording of ''Bebo Rides Again'', which was followed by ''Recuerdos de Habana'', recorded between 1998 and 2000. For this recording, Valdés worked with two of Cuba's most experienced musicians living in exile: double bassist Israel López, better known as

, and conguero Carlos Valdés, better known as Patato. In addition, alto saxophone and clarinet player

, who had collaborated with Valdés in ''Bebo Rides Again'', played on three tracks as a "special guest". Like his previous albums, and even more so, this album presented a jazz approach to many Cuban classics from a variety of genres including

bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It h ...

("Bolero potpourrí", "Romance en La Habana"), son cubano ("Son de la loma", "El reloj de Pastora"),

conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest ...

("Conga potpourrí"),

guaracha The guaracha () is a genre of music that originated in Cuba, of rapid tempo and comic or picaresque lyrics. The word has been used in this sense at least since the late 18th and early 19th century. Guarachas were played and sung in musical the ...

("Pare cochero", " Guaracha potpourrí") and

afro The afro is a hair style created by combing out natural growth of afro-textured hair, or specifically styled with chemical curling products by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair.Garland, Phyl"Is The Afro On Its Way Out?" '' Ebo ...

("Ogguere"). All the tracks were recorded between March 13 and March 16, 2000 in Current Sounds studios in New York. This was Valdés first collaboration with producer Nat Chediak, who would continue to work with Valdés for the rest of his career.

Critical reception

''El Arte del Sabor'' has received generally positive reviews. Jazz critic

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author. Life and career Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Beginning in 1974, Yanow was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles and was the jazz e ...

called the album "a gem", highlighting its "charming melodies, subtle interplay, and wonderful playing". Jim Josselyn writing for

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

described the album as "intellectual enough to satisfy musicians and accessible enough for casual listeners and dancers to enjoy" and praised the musicians as "masters of their instruments and Latin jazz".

Awards

The album won the 2002 Latin Grammy Award for Best Traditional Tropical Album as well as the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album at the

45th Annual Grammy Awards The 45th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 23, 2003, at Madison Square Garden in New York City honoring the best in music for the recording of the year beginning from October 1, 2001, through September 30, 2002. Musicians' accomplishment ...

. It was the first of Valdés' three Grammys.

Track listing

Personnel

* Piano, Primary Artist - Bebo Valdes * Primary Artist - Bebo Valdes Trio * Upright Bass - Cachao * Congas, Percussion - Carlos "Patato" Valdes * Audio Engineer, Mixing - Catherine Miller * Linear Notes - Dr. Cristobal Diaz Ayala * Composer - Eliseo Grenet * Composer - Ernesto Lecuona * Composer - Guillermo Castillo * Guest Artist - Israel "Cachao" Lopez * Photography - J. Socias * Composer - Julio Cueva * Executive Producer - Julio Marti * Composer - Luis Casa Romero * Composer - Manuel Corona * Composer - Marcelino Guerra * Composer - Miguel Matamoros * Producer - Nat Chediak * Composer - Nelson Riddle * Clarinet, Guest Artist, Alto Saxophone - Paquito D'Rivera * Composer - Rafael Hernandez * Composer - Ray Tico * Mastering - Todd A. Gerard

References

External links

El Arte del Sabor
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''.
El arte del sabor
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''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Arte del Sabor, El 2001 albums Bebo Valdés albums Afro-Cuban jazz albums Blue Note Records albums Latin Grammy Award for Best Traditional Tropical Album Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album 2000s Spanish-language albums