Roni Ben-Hur: ‘Abriendo Puertas’

There’s a spirit to ‘Abriendo Puertas’ (‘Opening Doors’) from guitarist Roni Ben-Hur that is inescapable from the opening bars.

Cuban rhythms combine with Ben-Hur’s jazz style - not surprising, given the Havana recording studio and exceptional musicians. The intention is for people to listen together, sharing culture and history and the resulting music is both emotional and exciting.

Abriendo Puertas is one of the inaugural releases in Cuban Notes, a cultural and artistic recording series co-produced by Dot Time Records founder and director Johanan Bickhardt and Ben-Hur.

The musicians selected for this recording bring a really positive energy that takes jazz into Cuba - and vice versa. Roni Ben-Hur (guitar) is joined by Alejandro Falcón (piano), Pedro Pablo Gutiérrez (acoustic bass), Ruy Lopez Nussa (drums) and Octavio Rodríguez Rivera (percussion). There are some nice additions from Emir Santa Cruz (tenor sax) and Osdalgia Lesmes (voice).

From the opening title track, we have a definitive combination of styles that ease into the beautiful ballad Mi Meyor Cancion (My Best Song), which really shows Ben-Hur’s guitar playing at its finest. The gorgeous vocals of Osdalgia Lesmes blend with the guitar on Dos Gardenias.

Several of the tracks are written by the fine Cuban composer and pianist Alejandro Falcón, including the Gua' One Blues Pal Bobby and El Teide, demonstrating those strong connections between Havana and jazz. There is a real link between Cuban music and jazz, shown brilliantly on Abriendo Puertas by Ben-Hur and his collection of extraordinary musicians.

‘Abriendo Puertas’ from Roni Ben-Hur is out now on Dot Time Records