Dave Schumacher & Cubeye Releases New Project “Agua Con Gas” | LISTEN!
AVAILABLE TODAY: Agua Con Gas by Dave Schumacher & Cubeye
DAVE: Agua Con Gas, composed and arranged by me, was conceived in the spirit of Cubeye’s prime directive—“Swing on both sides of the rhythm.” It flows seamlessly between rumba and swing within the form of the composition.
Yambú, by the late master musician Tata Güines, is a yambú from his album Anniversario on the Cuban EGREM label. I have loved this rumba since first purchasing the album in the mid-1990s. I enlisted band member Manuel Valera to arrange this folkloric composition, resulting in an inimitable and inspired reimagining.
Al Rosé, composed and arranged by me, was originally written for my dear friend and musical comrade of four decades, tenor saxophonist Jerry Weldon. The piece first took shape while Jerry and I were playing together in his old Hell’s Kitchen apartment in New York in the mid-1980s. With Jerry on drums and me playing his tenor saxophone, the seeds of the composition developed organically through improvisation. Fast-forward four decades—it felt like the right time to finally record it. The tune was also recorded by trombone legend Al Grey in 1988 on Chiaroscuro Records.
The Gypsy has always been a favorite ballad of mine, particularly through the iconic interpretations of Charlie Parker and Sonny Stitt. I had the idea to reimagine it in 6/8 with cajón, and I enlisted Silvano Monasterios to create this beautiful and evocative arrangement.
Amosaya, composed and arranged by me, was originally written following a U.S. State Department tour of South America with Lionel Hampton in the mid-1980s. While hanging out in Caracas with Venezuelan and Cuban musicians—jamming late into the night after our concerts—I was exposed to this rhythm in a jazz context. The composition blends jazz swing elements with Afro-Cuban songo rhythm, with a definite nod to the great Changuito and Los Van Van in the arrangement.
Letters From Paris is a beautiful ballad composed by pianist Silvano Monasterios. From the moment I heard it, I knew I wanted to record it.
Cubism, composed by baritone saxophone great Ronnie Cuber and arranged by me, is a mini-tribute to Ronnie. It was through Ronnie that, as a teenager in Chicago, I first discovered the music of Eddie Palmieri—opening up a whole new musical world that I continue to study and honor with Cubeye today. I invited another baritone saxophone great, Roger Rosenberg, to participate in this tribute. What’s better than one baritone saxophone? Two, of course. Roger has enjoyed a long and storied career as a member of the bands of Mongo Santamaría, Tito Puente, Chet Baker, and Steely Dan, as well as being a first-call New York studio musician for decades.
Barra-Cuber, composed by Ronnie Cuber and arranged by me, is the second piece in our mini-tribute to Ronnie. It’s a funky boogalú that adds yet another rhythmic dimension to the album.
Prince of Darkness, composed by Wayne Shorter, is another tune I’ve loved since my teen years in Chicago in the 1970s. Originally recorded on Miles Davis’s Sorcerer, I envisioned this piece as a rumba—clearly a very different vibe from Miles’s version. Once again, I enlisted Manuel Valera for another of his incredible reimaginings.
Some of the many influences of Cubeye, in no particular order…
Eddie Palmieri · Sonny Rollins · Cachao · Bud Powell · Machito · Duke Ellington · Afrocuba de Matanzas · Don Byas · Tito Puente · Thelonious Monk · Pancho Quinto · Dizzy Gillespie · Emiliano Salvador · Woody Shaw · Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band · Charles Mingus · Arsenio Rodríguez · Art Blakey · Los Van Van · Tadd Dameron · Ray Barretto · Wayne Shorter · Mongo Santamaría · Charlie Parker · Los Muñequitos de Matanzas · Kenny Clarke · NG La Banda · Sun Ra · Orquesta Aragón · Jackie McLean · Changuito · Horace Silver · Tata Güines · Cedar Walton · Conjunto Libre · Ronnie Cuber · Philly Joe Jones · Orquesta Ritmo Oriental · Miles Davis · Chano Pozo · John Coltrane · Batacumbele and so many more!!!
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