Mayra Caridad Valdes: La Diosa Del Mar

Latin Beat Magazine, Oct, 2002 by Luis Tamargo

(Jazzheads)

It was about time. Mayra Caridad Valdés, the most talented jazz songstress ever born in the Antillean archipelago, is finally beginning to receive the international recognition she deserves. This long-awaited U.S. debut displays the fiery alto articulation and powerful scat resources of Bebo Valdés' prodigal daughter, whose multidimensional repertoire ranges from modern-day "canción de cuna" to mambo-jazz to bolero- bossa to Cubop vocalese to post-modern filin to state-of-the-art Lucumí chants, among other things. Mayra's spectacular yanqui debut is enhanced with a multigenerational crew comprised of six brave musical warriors from the Pearl of the Antilles: Tony Pérez (acoustic piano), Enrique Plá (drums), Jorge Reyes (bass), Irving Acao (sax), Yaroldy Abreu (Cuban percussion) and Luis Guerra (keyboards).