Omar Sosa and Cuarteto Afrocubano at the Jazz Showcase, Chicago, Illinois, 23 Aoril 2015
Photos and summary by Bill Tilford, all rights reserved

This was the core quartet, which really is three Cubans and a bassist from Mozambique, and although the group performed some songs from the new recording ilé, it also performed a lot of other material, and you might say that Omar was as physical here as he has been cerebral in some of his recent recordings - dancing at and away from the piano, instigating the audience to clap along at times.   The music was still brilliant and inspired - Omar Sosa (pieno), Leandro Saint Hill (sax and flute),  Ernesto Simpson (drums) and Childo Tomas (bass) are all virtuosos - but many of the songs were also danceable for those so inclined. One of these days, a concert like this should be recorded live, in part because it captures Omar Sosa in a different light than what you hear if you only know his music from recent recordings.

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