Jane Bunnett & Hilario Durán – Cuban Rhapsody

Both reeds and woodwinds maestro Jane Bunnett and piano virtuoso Hilario Durán have released enormously successful albums lately. Bunnett made Embracing Voices (EMI, 2009) with the celebrated Cuban a capela choir, Grupo Vocal Desandann. Durán recorded a masterful trio record, Motion (Alma Records, 2010) with bassist, Roberto Occhipinti and drummer Mark Kelso. The two musicians had not worked together in several years, but have enjoyed a highly rated relationship for years, ever since Bunnett brought Durán over from Cuba. So the recording of Cuban Rhapsody (Alma Records, 2011) is first and foremost a celebratory reunion of sorts. It is also a first for Bunnett, who has rarely worked with any producer other than her trumpet-playing husband, Larry Cramer. Putting her art in the hands of Alma and producer Peter Cardinali was also a leap of faith.

For Hilario Durán playing classic repertoire from Cuba sounds like an emotional journey to a place in his youth where he first fell in love with music. For Bunnett, apart from being “Havana-Jane” there was another touchstone: the brilliant album, Jane Bunnett and the Cuban Piano Masters, (EMI/World Pacific, 1996), an album that featured the late Frank Emilio Flynn and José María Vitier. The fact that Durán was not on that album has now been fully redressed. Cuban Rhapsody is an exquisite body of music. Not only does it represent the work of great Latin American composers such as Miguel Matamoros, Ernesto Lecuona, José María Vitier and Emilio Flynn, but this time Durán and Bunnett play some of the most enchanting contradanzas ever put down on record. This is where the rhapsodic element of the record comes in.

Nowhere does Bunnett’s lithe and fluttery tone on soprano saxophone and flute sound better. She plays with sublime authority on both instruments, soaring into the azure of each song with stellar grace. Her command of color and timbre is second to none – in fact on soprano saxophone, she proves that she has few equals and often raises the bar (“María la O”) to such vaunted heights that it seems impossible to envision anyone ever clearing this. Hilario Durán, for his part, shows a distinct side to his playing. His technique and expression is absolutely beyond reproach, but it is his masterly control of harmonically fanciful flights that is stunning on this album. Durán has always been known to have killer tumbao, that rhythmic ingenuity that fires his left hand. On this album there is plenty of that, but also a graceful right hand that creates wondrous whorls of harmony that wrap themselves around Bunnett’s flute or saxophone flights like the other half of a double helix. The two musicians seem to be part of the same DNA when it comes to Cuban music at least and this is one of the most compelling aspects of their playing on Cuban Rhapsody.

This album is brimming with special moments. But the duo truly excel on Miguel Matamoros’ “Son de la Loma” as they address a familiar classic with fire and emotion that makes the hair stand on edge. The “Contradanzas” (all five of them) contain some of the most beautiful playing by both Bunnett and Durán on record. On each of the fabled music, the conversational exchanges on piano and reeds and winds reach a high-water mark and this will be hard to match by anyone who comes after this. “New Danzón,” Durán’s sole composition on the record is a masterpiece of melodic magic as well as harmonic mystery. It is work of this nature that continues to keep Cuban music front and centre today. However, at the end of the day it is the consummate skill of both Durán and Bunnett, especially showcased on Frank Emilio Flynn’s maddeningly lovely “Sherezada”, that makes this recording what it is: a duet album of rare and beautiful playing by two masters of modern music.

Track Listing: Lágrimas Negras; Son de la Loma; Longina; Quirino Con Su Tres; Contradanzas: La Tedezco; El Pañuelo de Pepa; Los Ojos de Pepa; Los Tres Golpes; Tarde en la Habana; María la O; Almendra; New Danzón; Sherezada; Danza Lucumí.

Personnel: Jane Bunnett: soprano saxophone, flute; Hilario Durán: piano.

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Jane Bunnett & Hilario Durán on the web: www.janebunnett.com | www.hilarioduran.com

Review written by: Raul da Gama

Jane Bunnett & Hilario Durán: Cuban Rhapsody

Hilario Durán and Jane Bunnett team up for duet album

Hilario Duran and Jane Bunnett will be releasing their new album, “Cuban Rhapsody” on June 7 in Canada and the US.

When two of the most acclaimed modern explorers of Cuban music combine their prodigious talents on the music they love, musical magic happens. That is demonstrated in truly enchanting fashion on Rhapsody Cubana, the debut duet recording by Jane Bunnett and Hilario Durán. They are both virtuoso players, arrangers, composers, and bandleaders in their own right, and they have the Juno Awards (and Grammy nominations) to prove it. Their shared musical history and close personal friendship now spans 21 years, and this empathy is at the heart of Rhapsody Cubana.

The musical excellence of this album will come as no surprise, though its sound will turn some heads. Both Durán and Bunnett are famed for their innovative take on contemporary Latin jazz and Cuban styles. In fact, in 2002 Bunnett received the prestigious Smithsonian Institute Award, “for contributions and dedication to the development of Latin jazz.” On Rhapsody Cubana, she and Durán they go back to the roots. The album is best described as an exploration of Cuban classical music, and the results are both educational and accessible. This is a style little known in North America and Europe, though it is deeply appreciated in Cuba and Latin America. It is brought to vivid life here, thanks to Hilario’s ever-fluent and dazzlingly accomplished piano playing and Jane’s melodic contributions on soprano saxophone and flute.

The tunes here range in age from the mid 19th century through to the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s. These richly romantic compositions are treated with love and respect by these two virtuosos, but they are not afraid to occasionally add a fresh coat of paint to the original arrangements. They are jazz players, after all, so improvization is part of their musical DNA. “Some of our versions are very close to the original rendition, but we are taking some liberties on others,” explains Jane. “We’ll perhaps inject a solo section where there wasn’t any before.” The one original tune here is Hilario’s “New Danzón,” described by Bunnett as “a dance song done in the style of traditional danzón but with a very modern harmony. It is very adventurous and rhythmically demanding.”

The material here moves seamlessly from the subtle elegance of “Danza Lucumi’ to the jaunty “Quirino Con Su Tres” and “Sherezada,” melodies as warm and breezy as a stroll on Havana’s waterfront. A centrepiece of the album is the “Contradanzas,” a medley of five tunes written in the contradanza form. Three were penned by Manuel Saumell, the 19th century composer described as the father of the contradanza, habanera, danzón, guajira, and clave forms and a true pioneer in integrating European classical music with Cuban folkloric styles.

Tunes by such noted 20th century Cuban composers as Frank Emilio Flynn, Ernesto Lecuona, Miguel Matamoros, Alberto Valdés, Manuel Corona, and Emilio Grenet are also reprised here. Hilario notes that “when they composed this music, there was a lot of movement between Havana and New Orleans, Haiti, Mexico, and Spain. European classical music was blended with African, Cuban and early jazz styles.” Their compositions helped form a rich body of work that could be termed the Cuban equivalent of The Great American Songbook, given their timeless appeal.

Hilario Duran is literally well-schooled in these compositions and Cuban classical music in general. Cuba has long been known for having one of the best music education systems in the world, and it is one Hilario grew up in. Returning to the music of his youth gave him great pleasure. “I began studying classical music at a young age, before becoming more involved in investigating jazz and other musical styles. Now I am coming back to my roots. This is music I really love to play. It reminds me of my younger days.” The joy Hilario takes in playing this music is clearly audible on Rhapsody Cubana.

Jane Bunnett’s passionate love affair with all forms of Cuban music is also a long-standing one, and it has been a crucial element in her creative career. A frequent visitor to Cuba, she explains that “I was familiar with a lot of this music. You hear it in the schools, on the radio, and often in the cafes. Our Cuban Piano Masters album back in 1996 was the start of my exploration of Cuban classical music.”

The classical music rooted pieces on Cuban Rhapsody can perhaps be viewed as the Cuban equivalent of the Great American Songbook. They have proved to be both timeless and still relevant, as this album clearly confirms. “It is full of passion and melody, and that’s the essence of Cuban music,” observes the album’s producer, Peter Cardinalli.

In recent years, Hilario and Jane have frequently performed as a duo, exploring this style in the process. The idea of making a record was quickly endorsed by ace Toronto producer/record label head Cardinali, and it is being released on his highly-respected label, ALMA Records. The recording took place at Toronto studio The Drive Shed, with award-winning engineer John ‘Beetle” Bailey at the console alongside Cardinali. This marks the first time Bunnett has worked on a full album with any producer other than her husband and bandmate Larry Cramer, and she thoroughly enjoyed the experience. “Instead of having Larry there going ‘do another take,’ it was Peter saying ‘do another one,’” she jokes. “Actually, it was great working with Peter. He has exceptional ears, and he’s excellent in the studio.” Cardinali has now produced four albums for Hilario, and he notes that “everyone was in sync for the recording.”

Bunnett and Durán each has extensive experience of performing and recording with large ensembles (Hilario’s 20-piece Latin Jazz Big Band has earned a Juno Award, Grammy nomination and international acclaim), but both musicians love the duo setting. “I like every format we do, but I like the duo because of the space and the simplicity. You can really focus on the sound, and the themes are so beautiful,” explains Jane. Hilario adds “I love the freedom of just two people. It is also very challenging and difficult at some points, as we have to fill up this spectrum of sound and play the music right.” Consider this a challenge well met.

The close musical and personal bonds between Duran and Bunnett now stretch back over two decades. In 1990, Jane and Larry Cramer were in Havana to record her ground-breaking and Juno Award-winning album, Spirits Of Havana. Bunnett picks up the story, recalling that “our great friend Guillermo Barreto acted as our producer on the Cuban side. We told him we needed a piano player who had a real sense of jazz but also a respect and love for the folkloric music of Cuba. He said ‘I know exactly who you want,’ and he introduced us to Hilario. He could barely speak any English and was really shy, but he was great. We were immediately on the same page musically.”

Durán terms this meeting “destiny. It changed my life.” He’s not exaggerating, for Bunnett and Cramer later sponsored Hilario and his family as immigrants to Canada, the country they’ve called home since 1998. Hilario frequently performed in Jane’s Spirits Of Havana ensemble, and he became a crucial accompanist for Bunnett on such albums as Rendezvous Brazil-Cuba, Chamalongo, and Ritmo + Soul. In turn, Bunnett has appeared on such Hilario Duran albums as Killer Tumbao. Their musical marriage now takes radiant shape on CD title, and Jane and Hilario are happily committed to live performance of this material in Canada and beyond in the months ahead.

JJA Announces Musical Lineup For Awards

May 3, New York City– Pianist Randy Weston headlines the artist lineup and tickets are now on sale at www.JJAJazzAwards.org for the 15th annual Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards gala, to be held on Saturday, June 11, from 1 pm to 5 pm EDT at City Winery, 155 Varick St. at Vandam in New York City.

Besides Weston, trumpeter Wallace Roney’s sextet, Canadian flutist/soprano saxophonist Jane Bunnett with Cuban-born pianist Hilario Duran and special guest Candido on congas, singer Gregory Porter (a nominee for the JJA’s Male Vocalist of the Year Award) and the Hammer Klavier Trio from Hamburg will perform at the event. The JJA gala, a fundraiser for the non-profit professional organization that promotes coverage of jazz in all media, will also feature announcements and presentations of the Awards to winners, and introductions of “Jazz Heroes” honored for extra-musical jazz activism in locales across the U.S. (in order to highlight the decentralized aspect of jazz activism, the JJA is not inducting “A Team” jazz activists this year). City Winery refreshments and beverages, as well as Brother Thelonious Ale and Celebrity Jazz cognac will be served.

The Jazz Awards is being produced as live streaming video, viewable online (and later archived) at JJAJazzAwards.org. Free satellite parties have been convened to watch the Awards in Berkeley, Boston, Nashville, Phoenix, Portland OR, Seattle and Washington, D.C, among other sites.

The general public may purchase tickets to the Awards gala in New York for $150. Ticket reservations, the list of all nominees for 2011 JJA Jazz Awards, details about the satellite parties and videos of the performers are also available at www.JJAJazzAwards.org.

Jazz Awards headliner Randy Weston, robust at 85 and a recently named Guggenheim Fellow, is a nominee for the JJA’s Best Book of the Year Award for his autobiography African Rhythms (“arranged” by former JJA vice president Willard Jenkins). Weston’s performance and that of singer Gregory Porter, whose album Water was nominated for a Grammy as vocal jazz cd of the year, are being supported by Motema Records. Acclaimed trumpeter Wallace Roney and his band with his brother Antoine and Arnold Lee on saxophones is being supported by HighNote/Savant Records.

Pianist Hilario Duran, born in Cuba and residing in Canada, has been nominated for two Juno Awards for his 2010 album Motion, hailed as #1 of the year by the Latin Jazz Network; soprano saxophonist/flutist Jane Bunnett, a multiple Juno winner who led her Spirits of Havana ensemble at the 2009 JJA Jazz Awards, has been Duran’s guest artist on tour with a 13-piece Latin Jazz band. Their performance is supported by Alma Records; master conguero Candido Camero, who joins them, was voted Percussionist of the Year by the JJA in 2009. The Hammer Klavier Trio, presented by Jan Matthies Management, is the subject of a JJA-nominated Short Form Video of the Year, and appears at the Jazz Awards as part of its debut American tour.

The JJA Jazz Awards is the only broad-based, independent, international celebration of jazz excellence. Begun in 1997 as a collaboration between the Jazz Journalists Association and Michael Dorf (then executive director of the Knitting Factory, now Founder and CEO of City Winery), it has been produced annually since 1999 by the JJA as part of its effort to increase awareness of jazz worldwide through writing, photography, audio/video and new media productions.

JJA Jazz Awards are presented 39 categories encompassing jazz music, presentation and documentation. The JJA’s “Jazz Heroes” are activists, advocates, altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz who have had significant impact on their immediate locales. The 2011 “Jazz Heroes” are:

• Omrao Brown, managing partner of Bohemian Caverns, who has helped stimulate new jazz activities in Washington, D.C.
• Peggy Cafritz, supporting founder of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C.
• John Gilbreath, executive director of Earshot Jazz, Seattle.
• Dr. Maiterya Padukone, dentist affiliated with the Jazz Foundation of America, treating musicians in New York City.
• Don Z. Miller, jazz impresario of Arizona, Mexico and Europe.
• Ed Reed, 82-year-old singer and substance abuse counselor, Richmond, California.
• Mike Reed, drummer, bandleader, music series and festival presenter, Chicago.
• Roger Spencer and Lori Mechem, directors of the Nashville Jazz Workshop, Nashville.
• Elynor Walcott and her sons, proprietors of Wally’s Jazz Café, longtime venue for youthful and emerging jazz in Boston.

The Jazz Awards gala raises funds for JJA educational efforts and activities aimed at developing new audiences for jazz. These include the eyeJAZZ video training program, audience enrichment programs at jazz festivals and educational institutions, initiatives using social media to activate under-addressed segments of the potential jazz audience and establishment of online platforms for jazz journalists.

To see all nominees for the 2010 JJA Jazz Awards and to purchase tickets for the gala, go to www.JJAJazzAwards.org. For further information, contact President@JazzJournalists.org.

For additional information, please contact:
DL Media · (610) 667-0501
Don Lucoff · don@dlmediamusic.com

Kim Smith PR · (718) 858-2557
Kim Smith · ksmithpr@earthlink.net

Jazz Journalists Association

Visit the the Jazz Journalist Association’s website, at www.jjajazzawards.org

Hilario Durán Trio – Motion (Alma Records – 2010)

In his much-anticipated follow-up to the Grammy-nominated and Juno Award-winning Latin Big Band recording, From The Heart (Alma Records,2008) the piano master, Hilario Durán brings together a power trio comprising bassist, Roberto Occhipinti and drummer, Mark Kelso. In the process he has created Motion, a memorable, new canvas of sound, unveiled through a palette of vivid tonal colors throughout the album’s eight tracks. The record bustles and breathes with myriad rhythms that are so unique to Hilario Durán’s music. He is a unique pianist, quite without peer in the realm of tumbao, the melodic bass lines that burst out of Durán’s music. This killer tumbao, as it is often called, propels Durán’s piano playing throughout brilliantly crafted ensemble passages where his right hand promotes a gentle simpatico weaving melody into the musical souls of his bandmates, Occhipinti and Kelso. His harmonics are stunning and he enrobes the melodies with these rich tapestries of sound often, with surprising color, to make the songs pirouette like dancers. His solos are always inventive, turning melodies inside out and often coming at them with a sliding, angular attack replete with single notes and ferocious chord clusters, so that they are freshened every time he touches the song.

This memorable set begins with “It’s Only Seven,” a song featuring a complex rhythmic structure that sets the pulse racing with a 7/4 beat. Its melody is alluring and, with bassist Roberto Occhipinti and drummer Mark Kelso in fine form, the song proves to be a true kicker. Occhipinti is sensational as he navigates through the fine rhythms with some propulsive and yet nuanced melodic playing. “Conversation with a Lunatic,” a puckish song vividly suggests a jitterbug-like encounter. Here too, Durán creates whorls of sound with contrapuntal figures that turn this track into one that burns with a bright blue flame. Next, Hilario Durán probes a seemingly familiar melody with refreshing and vigorous new ideas: “Havana City,” is a track filled with a sense of languidness that captures the lilting swagger of the rhythms of that city. The song is long and meandering and meditative. The feeling of emotional longing is heightened by the short opening featuring delicate strings, fluttering percussion and aching vocals atop resonant batás by the incomparable Joaquín Hidalgo. Hilario Durán’s playing here is soft and luscious as it appears to caress an almost feminine persona of Havana. The timely accented splashes of Mark Kelso and Roberto Occhipinti’s remarkable bass playing provide a superb rhythmic backdrop that keeps the song swaying and sashaying throughout.

“For Emiliano,” is an emotional tribute to Durán’s compatriot, pianist, Emiliano Salvador. This burgeoning arrangement has a distinct underpinning of sadness. The elegiac mood has some very thoughtful expansive piano playing and compelling bass work by Occhipinti as they seem to recall the spirit of Emiliano Salvador in a gentle wake full of clave. Kelso enjoys an explosive break here, while Durán comps effortlessly and later takes the song home. The album continues to surprise with “Tango Moruno,” which—as the title suggests—is a proverbial doffing of the hat to a form of music that came from nearby Argentina. Jamey Haddad excels as he manipulates the rhythm with remarkable percussive colorations. “Danza Negra” is a deeper excavation of the African side of Hilario Durán’s music and even though nothing is sung there is a bright mélange of danzón and earthy tones of the conjuring up of Yoruba spirituality as it fades with a flourish.

“Motion” is what the entire new experience of Hilario Durán’s music is all about. The musical roars from out of the starting blocks. Durán drives a labyrinthine rhythm in yet another complex figure of swing and clave. In his sensational and abrupt changes in rhythm Durán displays a new maturity of musicianship. He cajoles Roberto Occhipinti and Mark Kelso to reach deep into themselves to emerge with uniquely expressive ideas. The set ends with “Timba en Trampa,” a new dancing song that puts the proverbial sting of this delightful new record in its tail. This track is based on an angular 6/8 figure. The chopped rhythm—highlighted and enhanced by some excellent conga work by Luis Orbegoso offsets Durán’s flying fingers across the ivory and ebony. Here Durán also shows a fond affection for Thelonious Monk with his creative and architectural compositional style and displays complete mastery over every aspect of the musical process adorning this sublime, unforgettable album.

Tracks: It’s Only Seven; Conversation with a Lunatic; Havana City; For Emiliano; Danza Negra; Timba en Trampa.

Personnel: Hilario Durán: piano; Roberto Occhipinti: bass; Mark Kelso: drums; Joaquín Hidalgo: batá drums and vocal (3); Luis Orbegoso: congas (8); Jamey Haddad: percussion (5); The Pandemonium Strings (3).

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Hilario Durán on the web: www.hilarioduran.com

Review written by: Raul da Gama