Gonzalo Rubalcaba & Dongfen Liu - China Afro Cuba

Maestro Dongfeng Liu is back. And this time he brought a friend, mentor, and genius collaborator in Gonzalo Rubalcaba. In his 2018 ZOHO release China Caribe, Liu explored the music of China and the Caribbean, a remarkable opus that awakened many not only to a new sound but fresh way of thinking. There is an often-overlooked history of Chinese immigrants coming to the Americas, including Cuba, stretching back to the nineteenth century. Liu’s musical initiatives are vintage and at the vanguard. China Afro Cuba is indeed music at the frontline of composition and harmony but also interchange and friendship.

There is an ancient Chinese saying, “Lofty mountains and flowing water meet a kindred spirit -- and colorful clouds chasing the moon meet a bosom friend.” It comes from a philosophical text written some 2,000 years ago. Liu believes the symbolism of this line represents his musical friendship with Rubalcaba. Indeed, Rubalcaba is one the greatest artists of his generation. What may seem like an unusual pairing – Cuban and Chinese musicians – is anything but. They flow together as kindred spirits. “We are two pianists having an exploratory and innovative musical conversation. We’ve made a non-traditional interpretation of traditional music,” says Liu.

China Afro Cuba is a marvelous mashup of contemporary Cuban and traditional Chinese music. Liu and Rubalcaba have imagined a world without boundaries and infinite possibilities. The result is hopping and popping joy! It’s impossible not to smile and dance along to this gorgeous music. With orchestras at their fingertips, these two remarkable artists have created a piano duet album with breathtaking tones, timbres, contrast and cadence. Let their music be an example of what can happen when friends come together with both talent and tenderheartedness.