Known for his work with various members of the Buena Vista Social Club (in particular the late Ibrahim Ferrer), and for his leather-hat led hipster look, 31-year-old pianist Roberto Fonseca is one of the coolest things to emerge from the Cuban jazz scene in recent years. Zamazu sees him step out of the shadows of his mentors to present his own musical vision - and what a vision it is. The opening a cappella Misa Popular (performed by Fonseca s mother) hints that Zamazu is a deeper, more spiritual offering than most contemporary Latin jazz albums, and Fonseca proceeds to astonish in a number of different ways. Zig-zagging his way from the warm ooze of Suspiro and the lugubrious guajira of Dime Que No to the subversive interpretation of Abdullah Ibrahim s Ishmael and the pseudo-fusion grooves of Congo Arabe, Fonseca constantly evokes and provokes. The restless invention, virtuoso playing and immaculate support from a hand-picked backing band make Zamazu an undeniably world-class affair. --Paul Sullivan