''Supernova'' is a

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by The Gonzalo Rubalcaba Trio released by

Blue Note Records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. Or ...

on July 17, 2001. The trio consisted of

Gonzalo Rubalcaba Gonzalo Rubalcaba (born May 27, 1963) is an Afro-Cuban jazz pianist and composer. Early life Rubalcaba was born Gonzalo Julio González Fonseca in Havana, Cuba Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The ...

on piano, bassist Carlos Henriguez, and drummer

Ignacio Berroa Ignacio Berroa (born July 8, 1953 in Havana, Cuba) is a jazz drummer. In 1980 Ignacio left his country during the Mariel Boatlift, moved to New York and joined Dizzy Gillespie’s quartet in 1981, becoming the drummer of all the important band G ...

. It peaked at number 25 in the ''Billboard''

Top Jazz Albums The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...

chart. Produced by Rubalcaba, the album was released following his collaborative work with

Charlie Haden Charles Edward Haden (August 6, 1937 – July 11, 2014) was an American jazz double bass player, bandleader, composer and educator whose career spanned more than 50 years. In the late 1950s, he was an original member of the ground-breaking ...

on the album ''

Nocturne A nocturne is a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night. History The term ''nocturne'' (from French '' nocturne'' 'of the night') was first applied to musical pieces in the 18th century, when it indicated an ensembl ...

'', which resulted in a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for Haden. ''Supernova'' includes nine tracks and met with mostly positive reviews by critics, most commenting on the versatility and musical ability of the performer. The album was further nominated for a Grammy, a ''Billboard'' Latin Music Award, and earned the Latin Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album.

Background and release

Cuban pianist

recorded ''Supernova'' following his collaboration with

on the album ''

'', which was co-produced, performed and orchestrated by Rubalcaba. The pianist was named the "most visible musical presence" in ''Nocturne'' and the album received the

Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album The Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works (songs or albums) in the Latin jazz ...

at the

44th Grammy Awards The 44th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 27, 2002 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The main recipient was Alicia Keys, winning five Grammys, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for " Fallin'". U2 won four ...

, after being referred to as an "engaging blend of jazz and Latin song" by Don Heckman of ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

''. About ''Supernova'', Rubalcaba stated that blends the melodic tone of his previous album (''Inner Voyage'') and the lyricism of his early records. In May 2001, three months before the album release, Rubalcaba along with bassist Carlos Henriquez and drummer

(The Gonzalo Rubalcaba Trio), debuted some of the tracks at the Catalina Jazz Club in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, without telling his audience beforehand. Heckman described the songs as "pieces roved through unusual metric territory, with explosive accents bursting out of the rhythmic flow." The album was released by

on July 17, 2001, becoming Rubalcaba's seventh album for the label.

Content

The album includes nine tracks, five original songs and four covers. The title track is separated in two takes, "Supernova 1" and "Supernova 2". The first one shifts constantly the time signature becoming a "stop-and-start"

mambo Mambo most often refers to: *Mambo (music), a Cuban musical form *Mambo (dance), a dance corresponding to mambo music Mambo may also refer to: Music *Mambo section, a section in arrangements of some types of Afro-Caribbean music, particular ...

. Matt Cibula of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' highlights the work of Berroa on the

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

and Henriquez'

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

, giving both pieces a "solid foundation". The second track, "El Cadete Constitucional", was written by Jacobo Rubalcaba (the pianist grandfather), as a children's song and adapted into a funky strut in its step, opening as a "throwback to early Cuban jazz", and ending with a very "modern" synthesizer solo. The song features additional

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

by Robert and Luis Quintero. "

El Manicero "El manisero", known in English as "The Peanut Vendor", is a Cuban son-pregón composed by Moisés Simons. Together with "Guantanamera", it is arguably the most famous piece of music created by a Cuban musician. "The Peanut Vendor" has been recorde ...

", an American standard since 1930, also has and additional participation by the Quintero brothers. "Alma Mia" is a ballad, considered a Mexican standard on which the trio applies "honest melancholy lyricism." "The Hard One" is a re-recording of the original take included on Rubalcaba's ''Inner Voyage'' (1999). The track samples "

Take Five "Take Five" is a jazz standard composed by saxophonist Paul Desmond and originally recorded by the Dave Brubeck Quartet for their album ''Time Out'' at Columbia Records' 30th Street Studios in New York City on July 1, 1959. Two years later it b ...

" by

Dave Brubeck David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...

, and features Rubalcaba's piano rumbling in "metrical unpredictability." "La Voz del Centro" is a

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wa ...

. The last song, "Oren", it is an "environmental piece" with drums and piano, deemed as "pretty but trivial".

Reception and accolades

''Supernova'' received positive reviews from critics. Bret Love of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

gave the album 4.5 stars out of five, calling it "a wonderful album of varying moods and textures."

Leila Cobo Leila Cobo is a Colombian journalist, writer, novelist, pianist and television show host. She is noted for her coverage of Latin music for ''Billboard'' where she is currently the Chief Content Officer for Latin Music and Español, overseeing the ...

of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' magazine named the album an "accomplished work that highlights a more introspective and versatile Rubalcaba." On the album review, Cobo also commented that "this 'Supernova''is a refreshing outing."

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

' Mark Corroto stated that the album proves that the performer "has plenty of heart rooted in a traditional Cuban music past and a head pointed into a diverse North American future." Matt Cibula of ''

'' stated that ''Supernova'' is a "wonderful record, that proves that Rubalcaba is one of the greatest composers and pianist in the world," but was critical about the lack of emotional commitment to his music, concluding that the album would work better on an audience that never heard the performer before. ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' gave the album a B+ grade, arguing that it "neatly showcases Rubalcaba's strengths: unerring yet playful rhythm, technical ferocity when required, burnished balladry, and Cuban swagger blended with jazz suavity." George Tysh of ''

Metro Times The ''Detroit Metro Times'' is a progressive alternative weekly located in Detroit, Michigan. It is the largest circulating weekly newspaper in the metro Detroit area. History and content Supported entirely by advertising, it is distributed f ...

'' stated that ''Supernova'' "incorporates both Rubalcaba personalities, being more percussively rhythmic (definitely more Latin) than ''Inner Voyage'', but still as sensitive." Scottish ''

Jazz Review ''Jazz Review'' was a Scottish jazz magazine, founded in 1998. The founders were jazz writer (and former editor of ''The Wire'') Richard Cook and Roger Spence of the talent management agency Direct Music Limited of Edinburgh, Scotland. ''Jaz ...

'' magazine granted the album a perfect score of five stars, with Don Williamson stating that the album "continues to prove that Rubalcaba is dedicated to the authenticity, the tradition and the spirit of the Cuban music he studied and which is part of his being." The Rubalcaba's biography included on the book ''Jazz for Dummies'' (2006) by Dick Sutro, emphasizes that the album founds the performer on his peak form. Rubalcaba received a nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album in

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

for ''Supernova'', which was awarded to Haden's ''Nocturne''. Both albums were nominated the following year to the

Latin Grammy Award The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been r ...

in the same field. According to musician David Sánchez, the award was Rubalcaba's to lose since Haden was not

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

. ''Supernova'' earned the Latin Grammy. The track "Oren" was nominated for a

Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition The Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition (including its previous names) has been awarded since 1960. The award is presented to the composer of an original piece of music (not an adaptation), first released during the eligibility year. I ...

, which it lost to

Alan Silvestri Alan Anthony Silvestri (born March 26, 1950) is an American composer and conductor of film and television scores. He has been associated with director Robert Zemeckis since 1984, composing music for all of his feature films including the ''Back ...

's "Cast Away (End Credits)". ''Supernova'' reached number two at the ''

CMJ CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...

'' Jazz Albums chart and peaked at number 25 in the ''Billboard''

chart and was nominated for " Latin Jazz Album of the Year" at the 13th Annual ''Billboard'' Latin Music Awards, losing to ''Latin Spirits'' by

Poncho Sanchez Poncho Sánchez (born Filoberto Sanchez, October 30, 1951) is an American ''conguero'' (conga player), Latin jazz band leader, and salsa singer. In 2000, he and his ensemble won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album for their work on the C ...

Track listing

The track listing from

. All tracks written and composed by Gonzalo Rubalcaba, except "El Cadete Constitucional" by Jacobo Rubalcaba, "El Manicero" by

Moisés Simons Moisés Simons (born Moisés Simón Rodríguez; 24 August 1889 in Havana, Cuba – 28 June 1945 in Madrid, Spain),María Grever María Grever (14 September 1885 – 15 December 1951) was the first female Mexican composer to achieve international acclaim.Rodríguez, Lee M. L. María Grever: Poeta Y Compositora. Potomac, Md: Scripta Humanistica, 1994. Print. She is best kn ...

Personnel

This information adapted from AllMusic. *Gonzalo Rubalcaba – main performer,

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

*Ignacio Berroa –

, rainmaker *Carlos Henríquez –

*Luis Quintero –

güiro The güiro () is a Puerto Rican percussion instrument consisting of an open-ended, hollow gourd with parallel notches cut in one side. It is played by rubbing a stick or tines (see photo) along the notches to produce a ratchet sound. The güiro ...

timbales Timbales () or pailas are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing. They are shallower than single-headed tom-toms and usually tuned much higher, especially for their size.Orovio, Helio 1981. ''Diccionario de la música cubana: biográfico ...

*Robert Quintero –

conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest). ...

s *Jim Anderson –

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

mixing engineer A mixing engineer (or simply mix engineer) is responsible for combining ("mixing") different sonic elements of an auditory piece into a complete rendition (also known as "final mix" or "mixdown"), whether in music, film, or any other content of a ...

, rainmaker *María Mendez Grever –

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

*Moisés Simóns – composer *Juan Carlos Quesada;- executive producer *Mantis Evar – production coordination *Greenberg Kingsley –

art direction Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the visi ...

design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design'' ...

*Allan Tucker –

editing Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

*Mario Garcia Haya – engineer *Gordon H. Jee – creative director *Jana Leon –

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...

*Howard Mandel – liner notes

References

{{Authority control 2001 albums Blue Note Records albums Gonzalo Rubalcaba albums Latin Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album