Review: Aruán Ortiz’s ‘Créole Renaissance’

The well-decorated Cuban-born, Brooklyn-based pianist Aruán Ortiz has developed his reputation in the avant-garde or free jazz world. Typically, when thinking of a free jazz pianist, Cecil Taylor, or more recently, Matthew Shipp, comes to most people’s minds.  Ortiz only barely resembles either, rarely taking free-form rollicking excursions on this album. He is far more […]