Exploring both contemporary and classic Cuban song styles, López fills the album with exciting rhythms, colorful instrumentation, and stunning arrangements. Unlike the often nostalgic approach of venerable Buena Vista frontmen González and Ferrer, López's work crackles with a modern edge. Performing originals as well as tunes by his Uncle Cachao and Arsenio Rodríguez (the inspiration for Marc Ribot's hip Los Cubanos Postizos), López offers a powerful mix of polyrhythmic percussion, punchy horns, evocative strings, and a few slick splashes of Hammond B-3 organ and turntable scratch mastery. Laid-back grooves buoy lithe jazz solos with a solid backbone of no-nonsense world funk, fueled in part by the contributions of former James Brown saxophonist and arranger Pee Wee Ellis, who makes a special appearance in López's world-class ensemble at this week's concert.
