Argentine-born pianist-composer Fernando Otero kicked off last night's festivities at Bowery Ballroom with an opening set (pictured at right) supporting label mate Toumani Diabate and the Symmetric Orchestra. Otero, performing on keyboard with Nick Danielson on violin, gave a short preview of what's to come in his headlining gig at Joe's Pub this Wednesday, February 6. The New York Times says the upcoming show "should be no less intriguing or kinetic" than Fernando's "impressive new Nonesuch debut," Página de Buenos Aires.

Reviewing the new record, Newsday's Ed Morales says Fernando "plays with tango in a thoroughly original way." Morales pegs Otero as "equally at home collaborating with the Kronos Quartet as he is sitting in with Chico O'Farrill's Jazz Orchestra at Birdland or Paquito D'Rivera's latest configuration."

On Página de Buenos Aires, in one piece rushing "up and down the scales like a poet racing to the roof to catch the sunrise, lugging the accordionlike bandoneón all the way," then next evoking "the kind of loneliness and regret that can only come from living more than 5,000 miles from the nearest authentic tango bar," Otero proves to be "an extremely agile, promising player and composer whose abstract vision is grounded by a soulful sense of time and space."

To read the review, visit newsday.com.

For information on Wednesday's show at Joe's Pub, with video footage of Fernando and Nick performing at an earlier event, visit joespub.com. For more on Fernando's collaboration with Kronos Quartet, El Cerezo (The Cherry Tree), which the Quartet will premiere at Carnegie Hall on February 22, visit carnegiehall.org.