Amazingly enough, this March 2003 recording marks the first live release from Michel Camilo, the
Dominican Republic’s preeminent pianist. Incidentally, it is also his first recording with an all Cuban
rhythm section, Charles Flores on bass and Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez on drums.
For those unaware of Camilo’s virtuosity and compositional skill both as a classical and jazz pianist,
this set provides a great introduction to the depth and breadth of his astounding capacity. It is rare
enough for any individual to attain artistic recognition, rarer still for that recognition to be fully
deserved, and almost unheard of for someone to attain said recognition in two fields. Certainly, the
rift between jazz and classical piano is no longer delineated by the barbed wire, carefully patrolled
cultural divide of previous decades. The two expressive modes have come to not only recognize,
but influence each other to a great extent. The first breakthrough may have been attained by Oscar
Peterson, but the relevance of classical technique, knowledge, and spirit to jazz was firmly
established by Bill Evans.
Since then, there are few piano players today who have not studied classical works and have
not been influenced by them. In fact, current historical findings show that though the fact may not
have plainly revealed itself in their playing, the earliest jazz piano innovators were more often than
not well trained in the classical repertoire. So Camilo’s crossover into the jazz world is neither
historically unprecedented nor unfounded. It is, however, awfully unusual and tremendously
impressive.
For one thing, current standards in both the classical and jazz professional environments have
become so rarified, the market so competitive, the path to success so fraught with an endless series
of professional hoops, that it seems amazing that anyone can navigate the harrowing course at all.
Camilo’s ability to not only function but also succeed within both these daunting economies
may well be his most startling accomplishment of all.
That said, the music presented here is of rare quality and remarkable diversity. Camilo displays the
sensitivity, humor, bluesy funk, and improvisatory flair only the most open-minded of musicians can
achieve. From a rollicking, crowd pleasing rendition of "Tequila" to a series of transportive ballads,
to more experimental Latin jazz romps like “Diochotomy” and “On the Other Hand,” Camilo, with the
support of Flores’ faithful bass and Hernandez’s fluid rhythms, engages an audacious array of
styles.
Taken relatively straight, tunes like “Thinking of You “ display Camilo’s love of traditional jazz
forms, whereas hybrid pieces like “Mongo’s Blues” and “And Sammy Walked In ” present Camilo’s
dedication to fulfilling the Latin-Afro-Cuban-American jazz synthesis begun by Jelly Roll Morton,
tackled head-on by Gillespie, and assiduously pursued by numerous musicians since. Distinctly,
Camilo succeeds in creating a healthy, exciting blend that incorporates much without sacrificing
anything.
Camilio’s approach may not shatter listener expectation, or reconfigure jazz’s tonal and structural
idiom, as some of today’s younger experimenters are doing, but it will without doubt entertain, move,
and astound.
~ Franz A. Matzner
