Dance Kobina – Joe Chambers

Dance Kobina is the sixteenth studio album as a leader by American drummer, vibraphonist, and composer Joe Chambers, originally released in 2023 by the prestigious Blue Note Records label.

The album is structured across two geographically distinct recording sessions. The New York session features a traditional lineup with Marvin Carter (alto/tenor sax), Rick Germanson (piano), Mark Lewandowski (bass), and Emilio Valdés Cortes (Afro-Cuban percussion). Meanwhile, the Montreal session features pianist and co-producer Andrés Vial, Caoilainn Power (alto sax), Michael Davidson (vibraphone), Ira Coleman (bass), and Elli Miller Maboungou(Congolese percussion).

At a formal level, the work serves as an exploration of the common pathways linking modal post-bop, classic swing, and the polyrhythms of the African diaspora, with a particular emphasis on the rhythmic structures of guaguancó, rumba, and bembé. The repertoire balances original compositions by Chambers with historic standards by Kurt Weill and Joe Henderson, alongside contemporary pieces by Andrés Vial.