Gonzalo Rubalcaba

April 18, 2018
Guzen Gekijo, Azabu Juban

To see someone of Gonzalo Rubalcaba’s caliber in an intimate setting is a very rare treat. The place and the pianist were perfect together. The lack of amps and closeness of the audience allowed Rubalcaba to play from the depths of his heart. It was a moving show that captivated everyone encircling the piano and settling into the seats, stools and cushions. Guzen Gekijo really offered a chance for Rubalcaba’s deep feeling for playing to range freely, deeply and expansively. And, one might say, meticulously, not meticulous in the sense of perfect, but in terms of expressing himself so honestly and directly from the keyboard and from his heart.

With his roots in Cuba, Rubalcaba knows just how to stir up that Caribbean mix of music in every note. He played music drawn from his immersion in the music of many worlds—classical, jazz, and Afro-Cuban musical styles. And all the streams inside those styles, too. Those influences and directions were made even more complex by the variety of textures, approaches and emotions he summons up from the keyboard. Using the whole keyboard, Rubalcaba evokes different feelings and images and ideas from the bass to the top. If pianos could talk on their own, they’d say they love to be under his hands to reach their full potential.

From Latin to straight-ahead jazz to Cuban dance to free jazz, to pop-like quotes and Art Tatum-like flourishes, Rubalcaba clearly felt at home to play what he felt. He often used a simple ostinato to keep the forward propulsion, while working melodies and reworking them in fascinating patterns. Throwing in a saddened take on a patriotic North American Sousa march, then a prim, almost formal Cuban dance rhythm, then an Oscar Peterson run down the entire keyboard, Rubalcaba would then splash into a juicy modal vamp and let loose on it. The range and shifts were unexpected, but connected, and loads of fun.

Part of the connection is the deep pleasure Rubalcaba takes in the music, in knowing such a range of music, in improvising on it and in making music for listeners. After the show, Rubalcaba, waving his arm in a circle, said, “I love this place. I could feel everyone through my skin.” That connection in both directions is what improvised music does so magically, and snuggled in the cozy bosom of Guzen Gekijo, the audience became integral to the total experience, responding to his playing through their ears, skin and soul.

(All photos courtesy of Toshio Suzuki and Guzen Gekijo)