Ignacio Berroa was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1953, and started his musical education at the age of eleven at the National School of Arts and subsequently at Havana’s National Conservatory. He turned professional and soon became Cuba’s most sought after drummer. In 1980, he moved to New York where he met Mario Bauza, who in turn introduced him to Dizzy Gillespie. Dizzy soon asked Ignacio to join his band, and later described him as “… the only Latin drummer in the world in the history of American music that intimately knows both worlds: his native Afro Cuban music as well as Jazz…”
Playing with his trio of Martin Bejerano (piano) and Josh Allen (upright bass), I found that in many ways this album was taking me back to my youth. The very first jazz album I ever bought for myself was ‘Drum Crazy’ by Gene Krupa, and his approach to drumming reminds me so much of both that, and of the original rock wild man Keith Moon. All the time he is blasting all over the kit, putting in fills and gentle touches, the others are trying to keep a lid on it, with Josh sometimes the only person showing any sense of normality and control. It is this blend of Cuban styles, and over the top jazz percussion that really makes this album a delight from start to finish. One song does feature a guest singer in “Ruben Blades”, but there is so much going on that vocals really aren’t necessary. From the gentle and the sublime, to over the top bombast, this album is a delight from beginning to end.
