Review: Tiempo Libre - 'Bach in Havana'

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What does Johann Sebastian Bach have in common with Cuban timba? At first glance, not much. But if Bach were a Latin musician, he would be a tyrant about being ‘en clave’ which means sticking stridently to the beat, an essential part of Afro-Cuban rhythmic music.

So it might not be such a stretch that Cuban Miami-based timba band Tiempo Libre have released an album that takes 11 of Bach’s most famous works and delivers them with a mix of the classical, jazz and timba styles and named the album Bach in Havana.

Their familiarity with and love of Bach comes as a result of being classically trained at the ENA, Cuba’s premiere arts conservatory. Since they studied classical music by day and played in Latin jazz clubs at night, it’s only natural that both forms of music resided together in their musical memory. Over time, the music melded together in a style that is seamless and evocative.

Every track on Bach in Havana is a gem. “Air On A G String,” from the Orchestral Suite in D Major is performed as a bolero with the incomparable Paquito D’Rivera on alto sax. Bach’s “Prelude in C Minor” from The Well-Tempered Clavier becomes “Clave in C Minor” with seasoned keyboard by the band’s director, Jorge Gomez, inspired trumpet by Cristobal Ferrer Garcia and even voice used as a percussive instrument.

There’s no room to describe each of the pieces, though each is worthy of description. But I have to say a word about the final track, “Kyrie,” inspired by Bach’s Mass in B Minor, with its beautiful opening performed by a traditional choir that segues into a bata with which, according to the band, they make their offering to both Bach and the orishas.

This album could have been a travesty, but it is so deftly thought-out and performed that it does credit to both Bach and Tiempo Libre.