Francisco Mela

It’s no secret that for most of the 20th Century, Cuban music and musicians played important roles in influencing and revitalizing North American popular culture. From Ernesto Lecuona and Desi Arnaz to Chano Pozo, Paquito D’Rivera and Gloria Estefan, a wide stylistic panorama, from classical to pop and jazz idioms, has been constantly invigorated by the presence of supremely talented Cuban musicians and their distinctive music traditions.

Today, the name of drummer and composer Francisco Mela can be added to this illustrious list. Although he’s been in the U.S. for less than a decade and had just released his first album here, Mela has become one of the most talked about and in-demand Cuban musicians of his generation.

Melao, his release for the Barcelona, Spain-based AYVA Musica label, features a cadre of jazz giants, among them tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano, who quickly became one of the drummer’s biggest fans. "I am very excited and proud to have contributed to Francisco’s first recording as a leader,” Lovano says. “The free-flowing atmosphere at the session made us all explore his music in each setting with the most creative, intimate approach. I'm glad we live together in the same world of music."

Canadian woodwind virtuoso Jane Bunnett, whose passion for Cuban music has made her a leading practitioner of the island nation’s most revered styles, invited Melo into her “Spirits of Havana” band and recorded Grammy nominated album Cuban Odyssey with him anchoring the rhythm section. “His new recording is full of life, soul and adventure,” Bunnett comments. “He has combined all of the ingredients that I love so much -- his native Cuba, his philosophies and unique vision. This recording is powered by warmth, spirit and great playing by all.”

Melao, the Spanish word for syrup produced from sugar cane that is also used to describe a propitious mixture of ingredients, was chosen by Francisco for the album’s title to reflect his greatest influences in the music universe -- Cuba, Africa and New York. It’s precisely the kind of bold and far-reaching music statement a series of fortuitous opportunities, innate skill and determination have prepared him for since he was a student in Cuba in the 1970s.

Born in 1968 in Bayamo, Cuba, Francisco was pointed in the direction of music at an early age by his father, who was artistic director of cultural programs in this historic town nestled in the Sierra Maestra Mountain range. “When I was a little kid, we had a guitar in our home,” he recalls, “and my dad tried to get me interested, but I never really got into it.” Rather, he pursued an interest in painting and spent three years in the local Escuela de Artes Plásticas (School of Plastic Arts). Then, the 15-year old headed off to Havana to attend a festival, not realizing that he was missing the final exam and would be expelled from the institution. Unfazed, he switched gears and enrolled in the town’s El Yarey music school, taking classes in classical and Afro-Cuban percussion. Francisco then changed roles, becoming an instructor at Bayamo’s Rafael Cabrera Conservatory of Music. At the same time, he furthered his education, earning a degree in music and percussion from the Centro Nacional de Superación de la Enseñanza Artística (CENSEA, the National School of Arts for Teachers).

A trip to Havana brought the young drummer into contact with famed Cuban jazz pianist Emiliano Salvador and an opportunity to perform with his Nueva Visión quartet. “Going from Bayamo to Havana would be like going from Hartford to New York City,” Francisco recalls. “You say, ‘Wow, this is a great city! I want to make it here!’” While in Havana, he was also employed at Havana’s famed national dance school, the training ground for some of the world’s finest ballet artists, playing Afro-Cuban batá drums for dancers learning folkloric routines. In pianist Gabriel Hernández’s group, he performed at the Jazz Plaza festival, organized by none other than jazz pianist, bandleader and composer.

His first opportunity to perform outside of Cuba came when Hernández was booked for an appearance at the Cancún Jazz Festival. In 1997, Francisco returned to Mexico to perform in Cancún with his own group, the MelaSon Latin Jazz Band.Then, a chance encounter with Panamanian jazz pianist Danilo Pérez led him to a life-changing decision.

AV 040 Melao Francisco Mela Featuring: Francisco Mela (d, vcl, perc), Joe Lovano (ts), George Garzone (ts), Anat Cohen (ts, cl), Lionel Loueke (g), Nir Felder (elec. g), Leo Genovese (p, Rhodes, kb), Peter Slalov (b) € 14.95   (USD 17.78)