Domador de Huellas - Music of "Cuchi" Leguizamon

In the last few years, a number of Latin American musicians have recorded albums that inventively fuse jazz with the music of their homelands. Argentinean composer and pianist Guillermo Klein is one of those artists, and his 2010 release Domador de Huellas is outstanding. Klein leads an octet through a set of songs by Gustavo “Cuchi” Leguizamón, an Argentinean composer who often worked with native forms such as zamba and chacarera. Klein lends his appealing vocals to a number of cuts, including the ear-grabbing title track, which is a Klein original. The piece comes off like a wedding of jazz-flavored prog rock (think Caravan or Soft Machine) and Latin rhythms. An instrumental version of “Zamba para La Viuda” features an excellent horn arrangement and nice brushwork from drummer Daniel “Pipi” Piazzola, grandson of the legendary Astor Piazzola. Guest Liliana Herrero lends her intense vocals to “La Pomeña” and “Serenata 900,” and a lighter-voiced singer, Carme Canela, appears on “Cartas de Amor Que Se Queman.” Klein and guest Román Giudice sing two-part harmony on the spare and lovely closer, “La Mulanima.”