Review from FANFARE, Bertil van Boer. I’ve Found a New Baby: Baroque Meets Afro-Latin Jazz  Laury Gutiérrez, cond; Daniela Tošič (Mez); Rumbarocco Ens (period instruments)  RUMBARROCO10106 (1 disc: 55:34 ) Laury Gutiérrez and her Latin-Baroque ensemble are back again, this time with a new disc that Latinizes (if that is a term I can coin) music mostly from Eastern Europe. Employing the talents of mezzo-soprano Daniela Tošič, the fusion ensemble of Baroque instruments and modern jazz, and the odd Latin American instrument such as the cuatro, Laury has blended early musical improvisatory techniques with modern songs to create a unique mix of music. The opening Bei mir bistu schein is a work in Yiddish that seems to come out of the Pale. The recitative presents a spare line, but once the main theme begins, the Swing nature of the work emerges, and in a central section, the clarinet gives a klezmer style feel to the song. The return of the voice increases the tempo, this time with a nice clarinet counterpoint. The same Yiddish feel can be found in the children’s song Gena the Crocodile, with an opening duet between the gamba and clarinet. The klezmer feel is gone, replaced by a Baroque counterpoint before the percussion ups the rhythmic ante substantially. The music increases in complexity as the song moves forward, and following the first verse, the pizzicato bass offers a highly spiced jazz version to which the clarinet enters with a meandering improvisatory line. The folk song Ochi chornyye (known throughout the world as Dark Eyes, after a Romany theme) has a slow-moving augmented vocal beginning, almost arioso in style, with a second verse in waltz rhythm (which fits the tune very well). The subtle introduction of a habanera percussion foundation twists it a bit towards Middle Eastern music, and the use of imitative counterpoint is quite effective. This makes the second vocal entrance almost seem intrusive, but the extended solo by the bongos and the contrabass counterpoint restore the jaunty feel. The final entrance is almost a coda of benediction to a kaleidoscopic work. The 18th century is represented by Padre Antonio Soler’s iconic Fandango, a harpsichord piece that seems tailor-made for arrangement replete with percussive rhythms. It is extremely toe-tapping, with each variation increasing the texture until guitar licks dissolve into a brief contemplation before the final flourish. The second work is a lullaby by Friedrich Fleischmann (1766–1798), once attributed (like so much else) to Mozart. The folk quality of this North German theater piece is evident in the simple tune, but the accompaniment brings new flavors to the musical banquet, and it ritards verse by verse until only the voice and guitars are left, at which point the lullaby slows enough to allow for the music to morph into an actual folk song, Palomita blanca. The rest of the songs have a more contemporary foundation. Consuelo Valásquez’s popular Bésame mucho, uses the opening ostinato bolero to support a clear rendition of the song, even as other instruments are added in countermelody. Halfway through, however, the rhythms change abruptly to the landó, an African-inspired dance with the instruments (clarinet in the lower register) providing a series of jazzy variations. This inflection continues on into the last verse, leaving the song to end on a rather nonchalant tone. The jazz tune I’ve found a new baby, the title song of the album, seems almost Bachian in terms of counterpoint at the beginning, but when the percussion enters we are transported suddenly to Dixieland, and I swear there is a final lick from the Big Band era. In Betsy’s silent movie, the driving ostinato matches the clarinet improvisation along with a reggae feel. But, towards the end, the pizzicato walking bass and trippy clarinet tune bring us back to the world of jazz. Rumbarroco has managed to fuse performance styles across the spectrum in a manner that is highly eclectic as well as fascinating. If one expects jazzed up Baroque music or modern pieces performed in a period manner, this is not your cup of tea. If, however, you want excellent musicianship, intriguing (and often unique) renditions of works that combine the old and the new, as well as engaging and enticing rhythms, I would urge you to explore this disc. You will find it both entertaining and intriguing, and quite possibly your eyes will be opened to a brand new world. Bertil van Boer