Swinging Nod

Thursday night, I was back at The Burdock for another Pianofest show. It was a solo outing for Cuban pianist Dánae Olano García. My first encounter with García was at Gallery 345 and then at various Okan shows. So I knew it was going to be a show full of rhythm and swing.

She profiled a number of Cuban composers both modern and from the 19th century. It was interesting to hear the transition to "Latin rhythm" (what a casual listener associates with Latin music) from passages of classical harmonies. She also had original compositions including Mother and This City which came out of walks around her new hometown. Her improvisations had a strong rhythmic element. It was inspiring to hear the complexity but sometimes it felt overly constrained by her need to maintain the Cuban jazz feel.

García encouraged the crowd to clap along to the last song Big Alice with its simpler Bo Diddley beat. It was one of the only times she interacted with the audience. I hope she will develop her stage presence. Though she was focused and transported during her set, you can often hear her sub-vocalizing during her improv or play long passages with eyes closed, her muted banter created a distance with the listener. I remember how the cheeriness of Dayramir Gonzalez invited the crowd into his playing.