Spirits Of Havana

Jane Bunnett's Spirits of Havana, the landmark 1993 album that brought together North American and Cuban musicians in Havana, preceded Buena Vista Social Club by three years. With her all-female sextet, Maqueque, whose self-titled debut recently won a Juno (the Canadian Grammy) for Best Group Jazz Album of the Year, she's breaking new ground yet again. The name of the group means "the energy of a young girl's spirit," and with four of it's members still in their early twenties, this is a band with energy to spare. That spirit is manifested through propulsive montuno improvisations, call and response numbers and ivory-tickling piano features, as might be expected, but also on a stirring cover of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone."