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Joe Chambers brings together global talent on Dance Kobina

By Adam Feibel 2023/02/03

Joe Chambers

Credit:Randy Cole

Jazz veteran Joe Chambers brought together musicians and sounds from around the world for his latest Blue Note album Dance Kobina.

The drummer, vibraphonist, pianist and composer selected a mix of originals both new and old along with fresh takes on classic songs.

The album explores the musical connections between jazz, Latin, Brazilian, Argentinian and African music, with a focus on Afro-Cuban guaguancó.

“To me, all these pieces are connected, in many ways,” Chambers says.

Recorded in New York and Montreal and featuring musicians from or based in the U.S., Canada, Cuba and the Congo, the lineup for Dance Kobina includes pianists Rick Germanson and Andrés Vial, bassists Mark Lewandowski and Ira Coleman, alto saxophonists Marvin Carter and Caoilainn Power, percussionists Emilio Valdés Cortes and Elli Miller Maboungou, and vibraphonist Michael Davidson.

Listen to the title track below:

The album presents Chambers originals including Gazelle Suite, Ruth and Caravanserai, as well as interpretations of pieces by Vial, Kurt Weill, Joe Henderson and Karl Ratzer.

Dance Kobina is Chambers’ third release for Blue Note Records, and it serves as a sonic complement to 2021’s Samba de Maracatu.

In the mid- to late-1960s, Chambers played drums on some of the decade’s most progressive albums by artists such as Bobby Hutcherson, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Sam Rivers, Andrew Hill and Donald Byrd. He’s since established himself as an icon in his own right, recording 16 albums as a leader.

Here’s the track listing:

This Is New
Dance Kobina
Ruth
Caravanserai
City of Saints
Gazelle Suite
Intermezzo
Power to the People
Moon Dancer

Joe Chambers’ Dance Kobina is out Feb. 3, 2023, via Blue Note.