This Land Abounds With Life was composed largely as a result of a return to Fabian Almazan’s native Cuba. He found himself inspired by the natural beauty of the plants and animals there, some 23 years after he left the island aged nine.
In the years since, Almazan – who is now a resident of the U.S. – has established Biophilia Records with an ethical stance and devotion to expanding environmental awareness. He has toured with Terence Blanchard and Mark Guiliana, and his music has been used for film soundtracks and documentaries. He has also worked with Donny McCaslin, Justin Brown and Avishai Cohen. Fabian Almazan’s most recent album, 2017’s acclaimed Alcanza, showcased a larger ensemble surrounding a core trio rounded out by Linda May Oh on bass and Henry Cole on drums.
Due June 14, 2019, This Land Abounds With Life opens with “Benjamin” – a song named after the donkey character in George Orwell’s Animal Farm, which was banned in Cuba. He must be full of a sense of adventure and in possession of a slightly manic take on life, because the energy on “Benjamin” nearly knocks you sideways.
The relentless rapid-fire of chords, changes, key switches and travel across the keyboard is wonderful to listen to, particularly as there is such connectivity between the choices made. The careful percussion and bass with their almost free-style insertion at pivotal points are spot-on in terms of creating a more or less solid continuum. The stomping steps at the end are a surprise and delight. “Benjamin” is an opening track which grabs and holds the listener.
“The Everglades” is based on a serene theme, and you can imagine floating on some imaginary log bearing you down the green, misty swamps of the title. Even the rolling bass-led section under Fabian Almazan’s piano, which creates waves of sounds, is designed to relax, calm and propel you gently forward. Up next is the powerful swing of the middle section, rocking the boat just a little but never enough to cause worry. Then, suddenly all is completely quiet, paused, calm and the piano caresses, cajoles and wakens slowly.
“The Poets” is spoken word over gentle, sounds – a snippet of conversation here, a pause there and effects which may or may not be animalistic. It evolves into an eclectic and varied arrangement, hinged around a powerfully swung Latin beat, which at one point stops and Fabian Almazan’s piano takes off on a flight all of its own. Then it’s all brought back into line by Henry Cole’s continuous rhythms in bass and drums, albeit slowed right down by the end. Rather lovely.
“Ella” is calming, a duet between Linda Oh’s bass and piano, with the only percussive sounds being the fingers on strings as they are plucked. This is soothing and eloquent. “Songs of the Forgotten” opens with birdsong, and joined by bass and piano. That creates a mixed soundscape for a moment, before the birds fade away and Cole’s contrapuntal rhythms of bass and piano remain, punctuated by gentle percussion which builds layers over the track with effects and field recordings.
“The Nomads” is a contrast. Again that swinging rhythm is worked into the piece from the beginning – a trademark of faster arrangements. The rhythm changes from two bars in 2/4 with a second pair in triplets, which makes for an interesting listen. Henry Cole’s rhythm changes several times over the development of the piece, playing with the same arrangement but faster, slower – with rests, without rests. Fascinating and quite different. It shouldn’t work, but it does because it is also balanced. The percussion builds from almost tentative at the start too big, loud and busy by the end, which is also interesting.
“Jaula” is bottom heavy but in a good, rolling, depth searching way in the first half of the track, as the left hand covers the lower half of the keyboards alongside a less explorative right hand. Then, both hands come together to create a full textured, rounded piece with some lovely switches from full on noise to almost silence, demonstrating an understanding and delight at what Fabian Almazan’s piano can do. “Bola Du Nieve” (snowball) offers contrast from the start with its sweeping, rolling phrases and creative left hand over a steadier right. The violin, viola and cello join in to add pathos and emotion.
“Folklorism” is light, frothy and uses well-placed counterpoint rhythms to effect with tempo changes and different aspects introduced. “Uncle Tio” begins as a gentle, strolling number but develops some interesting quirks and twists, including some stepped drumming and spaces. In the middle section, the music waves into a gentle gradual ascension, like an outpouring of emotion as the layers are added back into create character.
“Pet Steps Sitters Theme Song” is dedicated to Fabian’s parents (they run a pet-sitting service in Miami). The track includes a great Linda Oh bass solo and some absolutely beautiful piano work. This is the stand-out track from This Land Abounds With Life, an album with something for everyone, a space for everyone to shine and some wonderful twists, turns and emphasis changes. “Music On My Mind’ is a song – but sung on Fabian Almazan’s piano with the melody clear and steady. What I have learned as I listened is that Almazan is no ordinary pianist, so even a fairly simply themed song is given more textural content than many could fit into the three minutes of its length.
This Land Abounds With Life is rich in influences, textures and experiences, which makes sense when you realize that Fabian Almazan left Cuba at nine years old, came to America where his father – a bass player of note in Cuba – continued to play until a few years ago. Fabian’s parents and sister were brought into the U.S. via the Mexican border and a relative of saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera. His family is now U.S. based.
The music includes field recordings of birdsong and nature, particularly in “The Everglades,” “The Poets” and “The Nomads.” The effect of nature on this composer is clear. With that in mind, when you purchase his music, you will get no CD, no plastic but you get a ‘biopholia’ which is cover made from Forestry Stewardship Council-certified paper, hand folded and printed using plant-based inks. It contains a unique code for the purchaser to use to download the album. No waste, and a saving on carbon emissions.
What is enjoyable in this music is that you can hear the influence and the impact seeing native fauna and flora had on Almazan, yet he is also clearly an American-influenced composer and arranger. The music never quite leaves the steadiness and comfort, the free styling reined in by precepts, yet something is attractive about this music in a huge way. I have a hunch that Fabian Almazan is a name to watch out for.
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