CD Review: Figure It Out by Hugo Cruz and Caminos
(Independent release April 15, 2026)
Review by Bill TIlford, all rights reserved

Percussionist/Composer/Bandleader Hugo Cruz is originally from Santa Clara, Cuba, and a graduate of ISA (the Instituto Superior de Arte.)  This writer first met him at a Fiesta del Tambor Guillermo Barreto in Memoriam in Havana years ago (he previously won the "Best Drummer" award there in 2014.)  His resume includes time with over a dozen Cuban groups, most notably Sintesis.  Figure It Out is his second release under his own name (his first, the also-excellent Punto de Partida, came out in 2022.) This new release is more of a project than a fixed group - over sixty musicians participated using studios in both the Pittsburgh area and in Cuba.  Most of the funding graciously came from the Heinz Endowments (the Devil tells me to write that this equates to a musician for each of the original 57 varieties with a few to spare), and the original release party was at the City of Asylum, an interesting global collective for writers, artisits and musicians.  Most of the tracks are big band arrangements with a couple of small combo diversions (On a Rainy Day at Home and Swing in the Mountains.)

Tracks (all compositions Hugo Cruz)
Guaguambe
My Amazing
Danzon Pal' Timbal
Figure It Out
On A Rainy Day At Home
La Danza De Catherine
Swing In The Mountains
Pa' Virginia

There are several different styles in the album. Guaguambe, as the name implies, is an exciting fusion of guaguancö and bembe  My Amazing is in an R & B groove, Danzón Pal' Timbal is what the title implies.   Figure it Out is a nice slow funk piece and features a cameo by Dave Weckl on drums.  On a Rainy Day at Home is the one trio arrangement in the album, using multiple percussion instruments to evoke rainfall. La Danza de Catherine brings in Cuban flute legend Maraca and has sections in 5/4 and 7/4.  Swing in the Mountains is a be bop piece with a cameo by drummer Roger Humphries. Pa' Virginia, the final track, brings the timba.  The mood of the album is general is uplifting, even joyous at times, and it adds an extra level of fun for me to see Cuban names like Enrique Lazaga, Degnis Bofill and Maraca turn up in a current US-made recording. 

We are going to forgo our usual credit listing because of the number of musicians, but  some of the noteworthy cameos from the Cuban side include Mayito Rivera, Maraca, Enrique Lazaga, Maikel Dinza, Degnis Bofill, Mayquel Gonzalez as well as luminaries such as Dave Weckl and Roger Humphries from the Pittsburgh area.  Some of the tracks were recorded at d'Bega Studios and La EGREM Studios in Havana, others in Pittsburgh-area studios. 

There is a physical version of the disc with nice cover art featuring many of the musicians, so purchase that if you can. 

Producer/Composer/Leader: Hugo Cruz
Recording, Mix, Mastering:  Jay Dudt, Carlos de la Vega