One by one, all the great Cuban musicians who thought their day was done are emerging from "retirement", and with this second stunning CD Ruben Gonzalez shows that, at 82, he's only just begun. He may be almost crippled with arthritis, but once his hands touch the keyboard he becomes transformed. His sheer technique is impressive even by classical standards, but what he does with it is dazzling--chromatic octave runs which are exhilaratingly off-key, chord-fusillades happening all over the piano at once. His key weapon is surprise--he knows exactly when to lurk in the shade, and when to burst forth. And he builds up his tapestries of sound like a sorcerer with a willing group of apprentices. Take the sixth track here, which is a slow "son guajira": the trumpet flies high over soft percussion and a muted choral refrain, then in comes Ibrahim Ferrer's wild vocal in his characteristic slow vibrato, followed by Senegalese singer Cheikh Lo, while Gonzalez weaves his spell all round them--sometimes the sinewy foundation, sometimes the brightest star. He can be jokey or tender as the occasion demands in this collection of danzons, cha-chas, and boleros, but he radiates a pervasive authority. Listen to this record once, and you're hooked for good. --Michael Church