'Jazz Review' on Mark Alban Lotz

Featured Artist: Lotz of Music in Havana
CD Title: Blues for Yemaya
Year: 1997
Record Label: VIA Records
Artist's Website: http://www.lotzofmusic.com
Favorite Song: "For Cosme and Damian"
Review: True fans of Afro-Cuban jazz and folk music will love this CD. The Dutch jazz group is joined by a Cuban assembly of voices and percussionists. Together, they fuse European jazz with Afro-Cuban rhythms and songs of the Santeria religion. The jazz group. "Lotz of Music" is led by flautist, Mark Alban Lotz and includes Maarten Ornstein, reeds; Stefan Schmid, piano; Jos Machtel, bass, tuba, trombone; and Stefan Kruger, drums. The Cuban group of 14 is led by vocalist/percussionist Javier Campos Martinez. The European musicians are all veterans of the International Jazz Festival circuit and are based at Hilversum, Netherlands. For this session, the compositions were arranged in order to make both ensembles feel comfortable. Recorded in Havana, the tracks are based upon melodies and rhythms dedicated to specific gods of the Yoruba Orisha pantheon. This CD is recommended to students of Afro-Cuban folklore and music. A nice booklet is included. The recording is distributed by DNA, San Francisco and is available by email from the artist's website.
Reviewed by: Richard Bourcier