Prolific Cuban pianist and all-round creative firebrand Sosa recently worked in a trio with similar instrumentation but different players – Paolo Fresu and Trilok Gurtu – and this offering couldn’t mark a greater contrast for that very reason. Kraus and Ovalles have their own personalities and, generally speaking, the latter in particular is not prone to the grand extraversion that is one of Gurtu’s trademarks. Yet it is precisely the somewhat subservient role played by Ovalles that is one of the major stumbling blocks on a live performance that does not translate very well to the colder medium of the compact disc. The spotlight falls decidedly on Sosa and Kraus, and skilled soloists though they are, there is precious little real chemistry between them, with too many pieces in the set list skating around a promising harmonic or melodic idea without developing it with any great sense of purpose. A superlative rhythm player, Sosa has also written many beautiful themes throughout his career, yet there is little worthwhile that emerges from the placid exchanges between him and Kraus, whose stilted rapping over Sosa’s Weather Report-style keys turns out to be the low point of the concert. There is no joy to be found in the moody sub-trip-hop soundscapes heard elsewhere and the net result is a disappointing offering from three accomplished international talents in need of either a producer with a sound or a composer with a vision.