Marco Tamayo, guitar

Latin-American flexibility facilitated the assimilation of all these elements into the national culture. It is easy to see how these influences have shaped Cuban music, which now incorporates Afro-Cuban rhythms, twentieth century harmonies, characterized by the juxtaposition of major and minor modes, and elements of jazz and impressionism - typically in the music of José Antonio Rojas - as well as traditional European forms of composition - as in the melancholy Suite breve of Harold Gramatges. One of the finest solo instruments for best giving expression to this unique aspect of Cuban musical culture is the guitar. The music on this recording ranges from the popular appeal of the son montuno, the country dance form found especially in the Oriente region, to the contemporary harmonization of Yoruba melodies by Hector Angulo. All the pieces convey a diverse picture of Cuba in music that is nostalgic yet fresh-sounding, elaborate yet pure in its relative simplicity of expression.