PLOT: | In this unique program, Gonzalo Rubalcaba displays his remarkable sensitivity toward the musical traditions from which he emerged and later embraced. As one of the most important figures to emerge from Afro-Cuban jazz in the '90s, Rubalcaba is an extraordinarily versatile pianist able to blend disparate strands of Cuban and American jazz traditions into a fresh, modern whole. Born into a musical family in Havana, Rubalcaba began studying classical piano in 1971 at age eight, honing his technique for the next 12 years while playing around Havana by night. By the time he arrived on the international jazz stage in the late '80s he was widely considered one of the great virtuosos of the music. |