Sammy Figueroa celebrated the release of his new CD, Imaginary World, Monday at Open Stage Club in Coral Gables.
The CD features eight new compositions by Silvano Monasterios (piano) and Gabriel Vivas (bass), written and arranged especially for the album. The album was produced by Rachel Faro and American Idol musical director Ray Chew.
Figueroa says that the songs are "the heart and soul of this project." The tracks are a highly complex Latin tradition fused with American jazz.
The album opens with the trumpet solid, Bittersweet, with Figueroa's percussions creating a sultry rhythm, while the track Waiting for You skips and dances around curious beats, overlapping and interlocking different meters. The Jumping Blue Jay could easily fit in the portfolio of Miles Davis while the title track Imaginary World's syncopated rhythms and smooth lines set an ethereal tone.
The jazz percussionist's previous three albums set a new standard for Latin jazz and received two Grammy Nominations and Imaginary World is on the same soaring trajectory.
This album raises the bar even higher with arrangements centered around complex percussion rhythms and passionate melodies. This is an album for those who have a deep appreciation of jazz.
If you missed the event, Sammy Figueroa performs in concert on Jan. 23, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. at the South Miami Dade Cultural Arts Center, 10950 S.W. 211th St., Cutler Bay, Fla.
