‘The Happy End,’ an Album that Marks a New Chapter for Cuban Jazz

In the 1940s when Cuban composer Mario Bauzá toured with his band Afro-Cubans, he had to forego some concerts as clubs refused to host a band with the word ‘Afro’ in it. But eventually, racial segregation became a thing of the past and right from the first notes of “Tanga,” Afro-Cubans’ 1943 song, Cuban jazz and its artists have played a definitive role in shaping jazz history. Ironically, while New York and New Orleans experimented with Cuban sounds, in Cuba itself, jazz music was frowned upon as a symbol of American imperialism. So, it took another 40 years after “Tanga,” with the formation of Irakere in 1973, for a new chapter to begin in the Cuban jazz scene. 

Nearly 50 years have passed since that revolution of experimentation and free-spirited discovery of sounds. And now, two fearless and unchained young musicians from Havana are releasing an album that, once again, pushes the creative boundaries further. The duo of Diego Hedez and Marcos Morales are putting out a new free jazz album, The Happy End. It’s a rare, if the not the first, instance of a trumpeter based out of Havana employing the avant-garde sound, since most of the known practitioners are based in mainland America. 

Hedezhad put out his debut album, Distante, in January this year and he has now collaborated with drummer Morales to put out an album that eschews the traditional tempo and format. In five tracks, the duo fearlessly express their creative voices. Hedez has been putting out snippets of his free-wheeling jam sessions and experimentations, and it is good to see him anchor some of those thoughts and experiences to build this album along with Morales.

The latter has a lucid way of playing and is a great foil to Hedez’s excellent trumpet work. A self-taught musician, Morales says he finds diverse sources of inspiration and his musical references have been changing through his years of studying music. He says, “Cuban music is much more than what is known in the world. You cannot stop time or try to pigeonhole music into aesthetic times or rhythms already raised in dissimilar forms and voices. We have to be consistent with the sound of our reality and not succumb to egos or sound myths.”

Hedez lists Barry Harris, Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, Freddie Hubbard and Francisco Mela among others as people whose music has moved him. He says, “The simple fact of living in a society at this time where there is no freedom of expression, as is [the case] in Cuba, made me not even think about music, or rhythms, or notes; it was just a process of personal expression, based on emotions and ways of thinking about music.”

The album features five tracks beginning with “Naoy.” Hedez starts off nice and pacey, and bends the notes to give the song a warm feel. 

The second track, “Dumplings,” is like an anguished monologue on the trumpet with Morales chipping in with subdued backing to let the focus remain on Hedez.

The third track is where the drummer comes out strong in a conversation with the trumpet. Both musicians have boldly put forward their phrases and riffs, and the track is a true celebration of free jazz. It is called “Yuti.” The musicians express themselves in an unbound and unanchored manner, and are yet musically in sync with each other.

The fourth track, “Bahia,” my favorite, is a slow, solemn composition and Hedez’s trumpet and Morales’s measured work on the drums make it an alluring track. 

The last one, “The Happy End,” is like a mischievous boy bending and pushing the notes on the brass instrument on a fun chase, with Morales right there, playing along and using all his chops to not let Hedez have all the fun. It’s an accomplished performance that ends the album on a high note, quite literally.

The record is a welcome one, especially given how I had enjoyed Diego’s debut album and hearing him play in this free-form style is delightful. The five tracks are short and overall, the album clocks in at just over 10 minutes. Yet, both the musicians are able to express themselves clearly and in a strong voice. A word here for Morales’s intelligence, which shines through in the way he has arranged his work over and around the trumpet sound. 

Jazz as a form of music allows artists to experiment and express themselves as freely as possible, and this album is indicative of a great sound coming out of Cuba at a time when the word ‘Afro’ is de rigueur across different forms of music, unlike how it was when Bauzá toured with his band in the 1940s. I, for one, will keep listening for more.