The Icelandic bassist/composer Tómas R. Einarsson is best known for his Latin Jazz CD´s, recorded in Reykjavik and Havana from 2002 to 2009: Kúbanska, Havana, Romm Tomm Tomm and LIVE! This new CD, Early Latin, is a long awaited compilation of his Latin tunes from 1985 to 2000. It includes his Mambo ... More

The Icelandic bassist/composer Tómas R. Einarsson is best known for his Latin Jazz CD´s, recorded in Reykjavik and Havana from 2002 to 2009: Kúbanska, Havana, Romm Tomm Tomm and LIVE! This new CD, Early Latin, is a long awaited compilation of his Latin tunes from 1985 to 2000. It includes his Mambo for ten toes, Tommatumbao, his homage to Antonio Carlos Jobim, titled Jobim, as well as the sambas Managua and Freestyle Samba, which became a hit in Iceland in 1987. All the aforementioned tunes are instrumental, but in this new collection two vocal versions are added: Títómas and Heart, both recorded in 2005. Heart is a classic bolero (here also included in the original instrumental version), superbly performed by the female vocalist Kristjana Stefánsdóttir, and Títómas (dedicated to Tito Puente as well as the composer) is a vocal duo of her and Thorvaldur Thorvaldsson. This is the fourth version of Títómas; it was originally released on Kúbanska (2002) and on LIVE! (2009) are two versions of the tune, the first one recorded in Reykjavik and the second at Le Club in Moscow. Among the musicians on Early Latin are the Danish trumpet virtuoso Jens Winther, as well as the versatile pianist/keyboardist Eythor Gunnarsson, best known for his work with the fusion group Mezzoforte and a composer of their greatest hit, Garden Party. Gunnarsson plays on seven out of nine tunes of the CD. Early Latin is an exciting potpourri of dance and meditation!