RAFAEL GRECO
Versos bajo mi sombra
Blue Canoe Records | 2026
Composer, pianist, and multi-instrumentalist Rafael Greco presents Versos bajo mi sombra
(Verses Under My Shadow)— a bold, literary, and emotionally charged 12-track album that fuses
jazz, Latin influences, cinematic imagination, and philosophical reflection.
Released on Blue Canoe Records, the album is both intimate and defiant — a meditation on grief, memory, artistic integrity, and the tension between inner freedom and modern cultural noise.
At its core, the title track, “Verses under my shadow,” stands as a protest against mediocrity and the erosion of empathy and reason in contemporary society. It frames the album’s central question: how does one preserve clarity and depth in an increasingly alienated world?
One of the emotional pillars of the project is “Lucía,” written in the wake of Greco’s mother’s passing and inspired by his daughter. The piece unfolds like a mirror — reflecting past and future within the same frame — transforming personal loss into enduring beauty.
Literature plays a significant role throughout the album. “Joseph Conrad’s Deletions” translates
narrative texture into sound, inspired by Greco’s engagement with writers such as Borges,
Cortázar, Poe, and Conrad. The closing work, “Sonatina (Méliès) for Solo Piano,” imagines an
expressionist soundtrack for films Georges Méliès never made — a poetic homage to early
cinema.
Musically, the album moves fluidly between introspective jazz, rhythmic Latin energy,
minimalist reinterpretation, and cinematic atmosphere. Highlights include:
- La nuit — a nod to Lester Young and the classic 32-bar form
- Baghería — a childhood memory of Sicily transformed into sound
- Due Fratelli — a tribute to friendship
- Get it straight / No te equivoques — a declaration of inner freedom
Versos bajo mi sombra features an exceptional ensemble of internationally acclaimed musicians,
including Jimmy Haslip, Vinnie Colaiuta, Dave Weckl, Scott Kinsey, Luisito Quintero,
Mark Ferber, Anton Fig, and others. The album was produced by Rafael Greco and Jimmy
Haslip, with mixing and mastering by Germán Landaeta.
Deeply personal yet universally resonant, Versos bajo mi sombra is a statement of artistic
conviction — a reminder that while nothing is eternal, integrity and expression remain powerful acts of resistance.
Contacts:
Karen Frieske
Press/A&R
kaf@BlueCanoeRecords.com
Photos Courtesy of Eric Smit
JazzWorldQuest WorldMusicMix