• CLASSICAL

TIEMPO LIBRE

Bach in Havana

Sony

* * *

The title alone would inspire incredulity. Though pre-Castro Cuba had symphony orchestras that recorded standard repertoire, that's not happening here. This Miami-based septet of Cuban extraction uses standard electric, percussion and brass instruments in a series of Cuban-flavored fantasias on a theme by Bach, whose music often functions as a stylistically neutral backbone for an extremely inventive ensemble.

Some of the better moments have little apparent Bach on the surface, so complete is the fusion. Others seem like merely clever juxtapositions of the two worlds. One of the more successful cuts, though, is the Kyrie from the Mass in B minor that audaciously begins with the choral original but successfully spins off into its own surprisingly integrated world.

As Cuban music goes, arrangements are varied and spirited with clean, punchy performances. It's not particularly deep, but perfect for a drive to the beach.

-- DAVID PATRICK STEARNS

The Philadelphia Inquirer

• HIP-HOP

EYEDEA AND ABILITIES

By the Throat

Rhymesayers

* * * ½

The first track on hip-hop duo Eyedea and Abilities' third album is an uncomfortable yet compelling tune about death. Titled Hay Fever, it's eerie, sensual and beautiful, and the aggressive yet poignant vocals of MC Eyedea (Mike Larson) set the tone for the rest of the album.

The two already are known for their socially conscious rapping, and By the Throat continues to solidify that reputation. But while the rhymes are solid, it's Eyedea and Abilities' incorporation of actual music -- more than just a series of background beats, which most hip-hop acts employ -- that makes the album so stunning. Songs are full of ambient sounds, grungy and psychedelic guitars, angsty sung choruses, crashing cymbals, and itchy beats, and the combination is marvelous.

-- KATHERINE SILKAITIS

The Philadelphia Inquirer

• ROOTS/COUNTRYRUTHIE AND THE WRANGLER

Americana Express

Azalea City

* * *

It's fitting that Ruthie and the Wranglers tackle the rockabilly chestnut I Got a Rocket in My Pocket. Singer Ruthie Logsdon is a cousin of the song's originator, Jimmie Logsdon, but, more important, the rave-up is the kind of rootsy, high-spirited crowd-pleaser in which the Wranglers have long specialized.

That same energy infuses much of Americana Express, beginning with the twang-fueled In the Tank, a collaboration by the band's three singer-lyricists -- Logsdon, bassist Greg Hardin and keyboardist Bill Starks -- and continuing through songs that touch on honky-tonk, hillbilly swing, boogie-woogie and surf.

Logsdon also pays tribute to prime influence Loretta Lynn with a feisty, swamp-tinged take on You Wanna Give Me a Lift. This Express, however, is just as impressive when it slows down: Revealing another dimension to the D.C.-area band are numbers such as Logsdon's reflective If I Could Turn Back Time, Hardin's wrenching Not to Love You, and his bluegrass-flavored The Last Word in Love.

-- NICK CRISTIANO

The Philadelphia Inquirer

• JAZZ

ERIC VLOEIMANS' FUGIMUNDI

Live at Yoshi's

Challenge Records

* * * ½

Trumpeter Eric Vloeimans is a top jazz player from the Netherlands. And his set captured here live at Oakland's great Yoshi's jazz club ought to make him better known here.

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