Ricardo G. Lewis' trio of violin, piano, and bass, supplemented on its debut recording Battangó by a pair of percussionists and an operatic soprano, presents a challenging, risk-filled listening experience. While remaining rooted in Afro-Cuban jazz, the Lewis Trio confidently, successfully, and playfully experiments with Cuban traditional styles, touches of aggressive dissonance, snippets of vocal reference points, and Ricardo Lewis' unusually voiced violin. "Obba-in," the leadoff track, smacks of the interpenetrating of two musical worlds, Iván G. Lewis' octave-driven salsa piano smoothly sliding into subtle jazz chord structures while Alain Pérez' thudding bass and Georvis Pico's drums undergird rhythm. Ricardo Lewis' scratchy, low-register violin plays briefly with a simple theme before embarking on digressions so daring that they seem to inhabit a parallel tonal cosmos, consistent with the other instruments only providentially, but that grace encompasses even a traditional male vocal duet and a number of rhythmic shifts. On the title track, a slow violin intro gives way to glistening piano and a pretty, longing violin melody, dissonant enough to unsettle yet sweet enough to complement Linda Mirabal's unexpected vocals. Late in this long track, the instruments once again diverge into loosely linked parallel musical universes, snippets of male vocals tracking the ensemble with a ghostly delay. There are also slow, pretty pieces, such as "Amanda," whose opening dreamlike Rhodes glissandos seem to attract a romantic violin melody backed by restrained Cuban percussion. An Argentine feel suffuses "Notas de la Habana," a punctilious swaying dance, violin and percussive playfulness sweetening a slightly ominous edge. And on "Salsera," a jazzy beat accented by Yuri Nogueras' Cuban percussion grounds a light, staccato melody carried in unison by violin and what sounds like a flute. Battangó offers surprising tonal textures and instrumental mastery confidently equal to the ambition of the production. - Jim Foley, RootsWorld

See also: Tinariwen

Press from the record label:
After glancing at the cover and label tag, you'd think you'd know what to expect: Latin, jazz, ...or something in between. Right. But wrong.

Although the members of the Lewis Trío originate from Cuba and have enjoyed a certain degree of popularity there for quite awhile, the trio's music goes above and beyond the standard categorical mixture of Latin and jazz.

Hard to believe at first. The first two tracks from Battangó offer more or less flawless jazz, making you feel at ease with your classification. Although, just a minute, something's a little different here. . . correct. The Lewis Trío emphasizes the violin as a melody instrument - and that's relatively rare as compared to jazz and Latin music. OK, you're thinking; no problem, jazz with a violin (and have another look at the booklet: yep, bandleader Ricardo Lewis is the violinist). And then the guys finally start unleashing their vast musical background. This is where it gets tough to categorize (if you're seriously trying to do so): Whether the Lewis Trío cheerfully plays for a coffee house jig, concocts tricky rhythm patterns a la salsa, races through the place with breakneck phrases, or invokes reflective moments - the enormous versatility and craftsmanship of the musicians involved [by the way, the core members of the trio are energetically supported by first-class drummer Georvis Pico and equally mentionable percussionist Yuri Nogueras] will amaze you again and again.

Even with all this musical brilliance, these gentlemen sometimes give the impression that they enjoy a good laugh at themselves (and at music in general) - which makes the whole thing even more enjoyable.

Battangó creates a richly colorful and detailed picture, sparkling full of the pure joy of playing; the overall impression couldn't be described better than "fantastic."