Mundo: The World of Jane Bunnett

Mundo: The World of Jane Bunnett
To Be Released By EMI Canada On February 14, 2012

Double CD Retrospective Package Features 2 New Tracks

Toronto, Ontario – January 13, 2012 – There are many possible descriptions of Jane Bunnett: Composer/bandleader/multi-instrumentalist/educator/festival organizer. Order of Canada recipient, five-time Juno Award winner and multiple Grammy nominee. Internationally acclaimed artist with a recording career spanning 24 years.

Our preferred phrase is: fearless musical explorer. In tandem with her long-time partner in music and life, trumpeter/composer/producer Larry Cramer, the Toronto-based Bunnett has constantly sought out new musical terrain. That is confirmed vividly on the compelling new career retrospective, Mundo: The World Of Jane Bunnett, to be released on EMI Music Canada on February 14, 2012.

This collection comprises 25 cuts taken from 16 albums, recorded between 1989 and 2008. It also features two brand new numbers showing that Bunnett remains at the peak of her creative powers. “Gotcha” and “After Rain, Comes Sun” were recorded with fast-rising young Toronto ensemble Heavyweights Brass Band, with Telmary featured on vibrant vocals on “After Rain, Comes Sun.”

Bunnett has never felt constrained stylistically, and the result is a body of work that encompasses modern jazz, a rich variety of Cuban-rooted musical idioms, blues, classical, gospel, r ‘n b, and other world music forms.

MUNDO: The World of Jane Bunnett – track listing:

DISC 1

1. Gotcha’ (New Track feat. Heavyweights Brass Band)
2. Kalaidescope (Embracing Voices)
3. Witchi Ti To (Red Dragonfly)
4. For Merceditas (with Don Pullen) (New York Duets)
5. Yo Siempre Oddara (Spirits of Havana)
6. The Real Truth (The Water is Wide)
7. El Diablo (Cuban Odyssey)
8. New Orleans Under Water (Radio Guantanamo)
9. Osain (Ritmo + Soul)
10. Changui for Alfredo (Radio Guantanamo)
11. Please Don’t Ever Leave Me (Doubletime/Duet with Paul Bley)
12. Serenade To A Cuckoo (Water Is Wide)
13. Chamalongo (Chamalongo)
14. Sunshower (Alternate take)

DISC 2

1. After Rain, Comes Sun (New track feat. Heavyweights Brass Band and Telmary)
2. Joyful Noise (Ritmo + Soul)
3. Alma de Santiago (video version) (Alma De Santiago)
4. Rendezvous (Rendezvous/Brazil /Cuba)
5. Don’s Light (Spirituals and Dedications)
6. Son de la Loma (Cuban Piano Masters)
7. Song for Argentina (Spirits of Havana)
8. Amor Por Ti (Chamalongo)
9. Donna Lee (Alma de Santiago)
10. You Don’t Know What Love Is (Live at Sweet Basil)
11. The River/El Rio (Ritmo + Soul)

Jane will be performing across the country this year to celebrate the release of this retrospective package, beginning with several shows in the Toronto area:

Thursday January 19 – Long & McQuade Performance Hall at Jazz FM
Listen Live at 91.1 FM or Jazz FM

Monday January 23 – FREE performance at the Appel Salon at the Toronto Reference Library with The Toronto Star’s John Teraud – 7:00 pm
Toronto Public Library Appel Salon

Friday January 27 – Hugh’s Room – with special guests Heavyweight’s Brass Band – 8:00 pm
Hugh’s Room

Saturday January 28 – LULA Lounge – Salsa Dance Party with Son Aché
and special guest Jane Bunnett.
7:00 pm Intimate Dinner and Photo Exhibit with Jane Bunnett
9:00pm – 2:00 am – Dance lessons and show!
Lula Lounge

During a colourful and prolific career, Jane Bunnett’s sound and vision has earned her the respect of some giants in the world of jazz. She has collaborated extensively with such legends as Don Pullen, Dewey Redman, Sheila Jordan and Paul Bley, while jazz critics have hailed her virtuosity on soprano saxophone and flute. Bunnett has been the recipient of multiple awards in the prestigious Downbeat and Village Voice Critics’ Polls.

Mundo: The World Of Jane Bunnett is a retrospective look at a formidable career, but Bunnett remains an artist looking forward, not back. The two new tracks included here are eloquent testimony to that approach. Following Jane’s future creative endeavours will be a richly rewarding exercise.

Welcome to The World Of Jane Bunnett. You are in for a treat.

For more information, or to request an interview, please contact:
Dawn Dwyer
D2 communications
416.583.5048
dawn@d2communications.ca

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.

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

2010 Toronto TD Jazz Festival – June 25 to July 4

The city’s largest music festival takes over this summer!
TD Toronto Jazz Festival – June 25 – July 4, 2010

Toronto ~ Late June signals not only the start of summer, but also the arrival of the TD Toronto Jazz Festival as it takes over the city for 10 incredible days. Local clubs, restaurants, venues and even a church or two will be playing host, creating a Festival network that includes over 40 participating stages all over the city. Now, that is a lot of jazz!

Harry Connick Jr. – Sun 06/27 (Canon Theatre)
A true consummate entertainer, Harry Connick Jr. has successfully launched careers in both acting and music with the corresponding accolades to show for it – 25 million albums sold worldwide, three Grammy Awards, an Emmy award and a starring role in a Tonywinning Broadway musical. Harry appeared in his first jazz recording at the tender age of ten, by 18 released his solo debut and at 30 appeared in movies such as Independence Day, Copycat and Memphis Belle. It has been over 20 years since Harry last performed at the Festival and his return is long overdue. Welcome back, Harry.
The hub of the Festival is Nathan Phillips Square and it is here where some of the biggest names in jazz can be found. Each evening, the Mainstage tent is transformed into an intimate concert theatre.

Featured performers on the Toronto Star Stage include:
Fri 06/25 – Maceo Parker
Sat 06/26 – Herbie Hancock w. Chris Potter & Dave Holland
Sun 06/27 – Taj Mahal & The Trio (James Hunter opening)
Mon 06/28 – Stanley Clarke Band f. Hiromi
Tues 06/29 – The Roots
Wed 06/30 – The Allen Toussaint Band / Mavis Staples
Thurs 07/01 – Angelique Kidjo
Fri 07/02 – John Scofield and the Piety Street Band

Harbourfront Centre will once again be part of the TD Toronto Jazz Festival, as the Enwave Theatre presents four outstanding acts over three nights. Up first is the 2008 recipient of the “Genius Grant”, or coveted MacArthur Grant, saxophonist Miguel Zenon who will explore the roots of Puerto Rican plena, followed by Toronto’s own Hilario Duran Big Band (Sat. 06/26). Dave Douglas, arguably one of the most prolific and original trumpeters/composers of his generation, brings his latest avant-garde project Spark of Being, A Film by Bill Morrison to the Festival (Tues. 06/29); the project is the retelling of the Frankenstein myth screened to a live musical performance by Douglas’ electric band, Keystone. James Farm is Joshua Redman’s latest collaborative group featuring Aaron Parks, Matt Penman and Eric Harland (Wed 06/30). Jazz by the Lake Series is sponsored by JAZZ.FM91.

The Festival is spreading the gospel of jazz this summer and taking it to the churches. The Music Gallery at St. George The Martyr Anglican Church (197 John St.) and Church of the Holy Trinity (10 Trinity Square) will both feature local and international musicians in one of the most unique Festival environs yet. What better place to experience jazz!
Sun 06/27 – Eric Boeren Quartet (Music Gallery)
Mon 06/28 – Random Access Unplugged (Music Gallery)
Mon 06/28 – Tomasz Stanko Quartet (Holy Trinity)
Tues 06/29 – Marco Benevento Trio (Holy Trinity)
Fri 07/02 – Fred Frith (Music Gallery)
Sat 07/03 – Doran-Stucky-Studer & Tacuma Play Music of Jimi Hendrix (Music Gallery)

Trane Studio will host five nights as part of the TD Toronto Jazz Festival with a very special presentation of up-and-coming saxophonist Grace Kelly (Tues 06/29). At 17, Kelly is generating much buzz and has been lauded by Downbeat, Wynton Marsalis, Harry Connick Jr., and Phil Woods, just to name a few. Toronto born, NY based Andy Milne (Sat 07/03) and his group Dapp Theory blend funk, hip-hop and jazz with seamless precision. Andre Leroux Quartet (Mon 06/28), Terry Clarke Trio with Phil Dwyer (Fri. 07/02) and Sandro Dominelli Trio (Sun 07/04) also perform at The Trane. JazzTimes Magazine has called Christian Scott “the architect of a new commercially viable fusion.” Performing music from his latest release, Yesterday You Said Tomorrow, Scott plays at the Hard Rock Café on Sat. 07/03. One of the premier jazz-fusion guitarists, Mike Stern also joins the Hard Rock line-up with special guest Alain Caron (Mon 06/28). Tony Monaco Trio (Tues 06/29) rounds out the series.
The TD Toronto Jazz Festival, celebrating its 24th anniversary this year, runs from June 25 – July 4, 2010. Get ready to kick off summer as the city’s largest music festival presents free concerts and workshops, late night jam sessions and some of the biggest names in jazz. It is a musical celebration like no other!

All tickets are on sale now. For Harry Connick Jr., call TicketKing at 416.872.1212 or 1.800.461.3333, www.ticketking.com; tickets for previously announced Keith Jarrett are available at 416. 363.8231 or Four Seasons Centre Box Office. For all the other shows call Ticketmaster at 416.870.8000, www.ticketmaster.ca.

For more information visit www.torontojazz.com

Media Contact:
Anna Tom
publicity@tojazz.com
416.928.2033, x21

Jane Bunnett and The Cuban Piano Masters at Koerner Hall, Toronto

Feature/Review written by: Danilo Navas

The Cuban Piano Masters Project

This unique musical group was first conceived in Havana, Cuba in 1992 at the National Theatre with the great Cuban pianists José María Vitier and the late Frank Emilio. It was brought to fruition in Canada in 1993 with a ground-breaking concert at the Glenn Gould Theatre (CBC) and became Jane Bunnett’s recording debut for EMI/Bluenote.

In 1997 the 2nd edition was presented at the Montreal Jazz Festival with collaborators Hilario Durán and Frank Emilio. This concert was filmed by Le Spectre and shown worldwide as “Jane Bunnett and the Cuban Piano Masters” (see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUmrR7kMRmk).

Now in its third edition, this is a presentation of three generations of piano with Jane’s original collaborator Hilario Durán, current pianist Elio Villafranca and elder master Guillermo Rubalcaba (who appeared with Jane in her 2000 National Film Board Documentary “Spirits of Havana.”

The Cuban Piano Masters 2010/2011 Edition

The Venue

The superb new Koerner Concert Hall is a magnificent, state-of-the-art 1,135-seat venue located in the heart of downtown Toronto. Koerner Hall is one of three stages housed under the TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, which is the Royal Conservatory’s new Toronto home. The elegant, modern architecture, goes hand in hand with the exceptional acoustics of the hall. It has received unanimous praise by performers and spectators alike.

Jane Bunnett and The Cuban Piano Masters was the last show of a concert-series dedicated to exploring the roots and advancements of the tremendous fusion of Latin Music and Jazz, known under the umbrella term of Latin jazz.

The Musicians

Jane Bunnett, soprano saxophone, flute
Hilario Durán, piano
Guillermo Rubalcaba, piano
Elio Villafranca, piano
José Luis Quintana (Changuito), timbales
Larry Cramer, trumpet
Roberto Riveron, bass
Jorge Torres (Papiosco), percussion
Luis (Luisito) Orbegoso, percussion

The Music

Part I
1. La Comparsa (Ernesto Lecuona)
2. Scheherazada (Frank Emilio Flynn)
3. Lágrimas Negras (Miguel Matamoros)
4. Oguere’s Cha (Elio Villafranca)
5. Timba Mabó (Hilario Durán/José Luis Quintana “Changuito”)

Part II
1. Fool On The Hill (Lennon/Mc Cartney) (Arranged by Elio Villafranca)
2. Quirino Con Su Tres (Poem by Nicolás Guillén/Music by Emilio Grenet)
3. Havana City (Hilario Durán)
4. I Hear Voices (Jane Bunnett)
5. Andalucía (Ernesto Lecuona)
6. Cacique (Elio Villafranca)
7. El Manicero (Moisés Simons)

Encore
- Ron Con Ron (Rum With Rum)

The Concert at Koerner Hall, Toronto

On Saturday, April 17, 2010, at around 8:00 pm, Jane Bunnett opened this special concert, soloing on her soprano, creating an almost sacred atmosphere in the magnificent Koerner Hall. That was a fit preamble to one of the most famous compositions by Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona, “La Comparsa.” One by one, the three pianos and the rhythmic section joined Jane Bunnett on a journey through popular, classical Cuban music and jazz.

Next on the program was “Scheherazada,” performed as a tribute to his composer, the late Piano Master Frank Emilio Flynn (1921-2001). The audience was treated to a joyful rendition of this piece, originally recorded as a cha cha chá in 1997 by Emilio, on his album “Barbarísimo.”

Next, Bunnett and Guillermo Rubalcaba joined forces as a duet on another classic piece, “Lágrimas Negras” (Miguel Matamoros).

The youngest of the three Masters, Elio Villafranca, contributed his first composition of the night, the enchanting “Oguere’s Cha,” recorded by Villafranca on his first CD, “Incantations.” A very spiritual piece, “Oguere’s Cha” began with a beautiful chant masterfully performed by percussionist Luis (Luisito) Orbegoso, who’s very well known in the Toronto Latin and Jazz musical circuit. Elio and Hilario exchanged lyrical melodies and waves of rhythm and harmony in their interaction, bringing the call and response patterns to a high level of complexity.

Right after, and closing the first part of the concert, another very special guest came on stage. The legendary percussionist José Luis Quintana (Changuito) introduced “Timba Mabó,” a descarga written by Hilario Durán and Changuito during the recording of Hilario’s CD “Killer Tumbao” in Havana, Cuba, back in 1997.

As it’s been customary on this Latin Jazz Series concerts, after the intermission, Mervon Mehta (Executive Director, RCM Performing Arts) joined the featured artist (in this case Jane Bunnett) for a brief chat. Bunnett shared her musical views and ideas with the audience, opening right after the second part of the show with a duet. This time, Jane and Elio Villafranca performed a beautiful rendition of “Fool On The Hill” (Lennon/McCartney). An intricate Villafranca’studio of this popular piece unfolded, led by the piano, and nicely complemented by Bunnett’s flute.

The duet became a trio. This time, Jane and her soprano horn were joined by Hilario Durán on the piano and “Changuito” on the timbales. They did a wonderful interpretation of “Quirino con su Tres,” a popular tune created by Emilio Grenet, who wrote music to a poem by Nicolás Guillén in the 1930′s.

Then it was Durán’s turn of contributing a composition, “Havana City,” from his recording “Encuentro en La Habana,” made in Cuba in 2005 with his former bandmates from “Perspectiva.” A tribute to the city of dreams, as I call it, “Havana City” evoques the nostalgia of the artist’s motherland, the cherished souvenirs and the ghosts of a lifetime.

The next piece was “I Hear Voices,” a song written by Jane Bunnett, from her Juno Award winning album “Embracing Voices.”

Then the classic song “Andalucia,” composed by Ernesto Lecuona, received a modern treatment. Arranged by Maestro Guillermo Rubalcaba. The three pianos participated in the dialogue.

“Cacique” came after. The second composition of the night by Elio Villafranca. Another spiritual song, introduced by Elio singing a chant/prayer to the Orisha Oduduwa (Odua).

Possibly the most popular Cuban song of all times, “El Manicero,” written by Moisés Simons, ended a fantastic musical trip to the Caribbean island. Three true Masters representing the best of the Cuban pianistic tradition, led by a more than passionate Canadian, took us on a helluva ride with their distinctive voices. Big kudos to Jane Bunnett for making this great concert a reality. Not an easy task to accomplish, this show is definitely one of the landmarks in Jane’s musical career.

As if we hadn’t had enough, we were regaled with an encore: the descarga “Ron con Ron” (Rum with Rum), previously recorded on Bunnett’s Cuban Odyssey – Spirits of Havana project.

From an interview with Mrs. Bunnett conducted by John Goddard (Toronto Star daily), I extract the following, where Bunnett describes the significance of each player on this concert.

Guillermo Rubalcaba: “At 83, he is super well-known and in great health. There are not a lot left — guys in their 80s who play in that beautiful, elegant piano style (of 1930s Cuban cha-cha-chá) that blends very European influences with Afro Cuban rhythms. “Guillermo is founder of one of the most famous groups in Cuba, Charanga Rubalcaba, and plays with Buena Vista Social Club.”

Hilario Durán: “In terms of the growing modern jazz scene in Cuba in the 1970s and 1980s, Hilario was one of the more profound players. He was big there. He had his own group “Perspectiva,” besides doing all the other work he was doing.

“When I met him (in 1991 in Havana) he probably had made well over 400 recordings as a sideman, working in the EGREM recording studios, just working away arranging, composing, directing and backing many of the great Cuban masters.”

Elio Villafranca: “Elio is in his 30s, one of the new generation of Cuban musicians on the cutting-edge New York scene. I would say he’s a jazz musician first but really draws from his Cuban roots. He is from Pinar del Río, the little boot part of western Cuba.

“We’ve been working a lot in the States together and playing a lot in Europe.”

Changuito: “He’s done a million recordings. He joined Los Van Van (in 1970), which for me is the best salsa band, my favourite, and he was sort of the originator of the songo rhythm, one of the groundbreaking rhythms the group developed. He left a few years ago to focus more on Latin jazz.”

View Slideshow – Jane Bunnett and the Cuban Piano Masters
Photographs by Danilo Navas

Mexican musicians play the 2009 Montreal Jazz Festival

Hector Infanzón, Magos Herrera, Sacbé, Lila Downs, Los de Abajo. What do all these artists have in common? Besides sharing a common heritage, they represent the best exponents of a wide range of contemporary music in and out of Mexico, and they all will be performing in Montreal, Canada next July, during the Montreal Jazz Festival (Festival International de Jazz de Montréal).

This year marks a very special occasion for the internationally recognized event, as it reaches 30 years of successful existance. This anniversary will be celebrated with all the bells and whistles you could possibly expect from the largest jazz festival in the world (according to the Guinness Book of World Records).

Between June 30th and July 12th, 2009, more than 3,000 artists from 30 countries, offering more than 650 concerts, will delight thousands and thousands of avid music fans who will gather to commemorate 30 years of cultural endeavour and dedication in the magnificent city of Montreal.

News report by Danilo Navas

The Artists

Héctor Infanzón is a superb pianist, composer and arranger who has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Jeff Berlin, Carlos Santana, Jose Feliciano, Lincoln Goines, Dave Valentin, Papo Lucca, Johnny Pacheco and many others. He has recorded 4 CDs: “Citadino”, “Impulsos”, “Nos Toca” and “De Manera Personal.” He’s also played numerous national and international jazz festivals, and this is gonna be his first time playing the prestigious Canadian jazz fest.

Héctor Infanzón is scheduled to appear on Saturday, July 11, at 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm at the Club Jazz TD Canada Trust stage.

www.myspace.com/hectorinfanzon

Magos Herrera is an accomplished singer-songwriter and a world-class jazz vocalist, fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Considered “one of the most beautiful voices and the most active vocalist of the contemporary Latin American jazz scene,” Magos herrera is based in New York, where she recently released her latest CD -”Distancia”- on Sunnyside Records. She has toured Latin America, India, Japan and United States.

Magos Herrera plays this time the Montreal Jazz Fest, where she will perform at the Scène CBC/Radio-Canada stage on Sunday, July 12 at 6:00 pm.

www.magosherrera.com

Sacbé, “one of the most important and influential bands in the history of Mexican jazz” is integrated by the Toussaint brothers, Eugenio, Enrique and Fernando. Led by Eugenio, who formed the group in 1976, Sacbé has recorded six albums. This is their second year in a row participating in the Montreal big musical event, but this time they’re joining Quebec sax player Jean-Pierre Zanella.

You can catch Jean-Pierre Zanella and Sacbé at L’Astral (Maison du Festival Rio Tinto Alcan) -which is the new house of the festival- on Saturday, July 11 at 6:00 pm.

www.eugeniotoussaint.com/biography/sacbe

Mexican-American singer Lila Downs grew up in the Sierra Madre mountains of southern Mexico, in the state of Oaxaca, where she was born. Lila Downs is the quintessential World Music Diva. She is a modern icon of Mexican music. With her band, Lila has toured around the globe, participating in many international events. She performs her own compositions, also tapping into the vast reservoir of native mesoamerican music, singing songs in the native languages of Mexico: Mixtec, Zapotec, Maya and Nahuatl.

Lila Downs performs on Friday, July 10 at 7:00 pm, at the Club Soda.

www.liladowns.com

Los de Abajo defy any categorization. Their mix of Mexican styles -cumbia, son jarocho, banda sinaloense- with ska, punk, rock, salsa, reggae, and other rhythms is simply explosive. But they have to be experienced live. Their concerts are full of contagious energy and interaction with the audience. Los de Abajo have come a long way since 1992, when they got together as a four-piece Latin-Ska outfit.

The Montreal crowds are gonna be jumping and dancing to the sounds of Los de Abajo on Saturday, July 11 at 8:00 pm, at the Scène Bell.

www.myspace.com/losdeabajoska

Jane Bunnett with Desandann and Hilario Durán Trio

Grupo Vocal Desandann (from Camaguey, Cuba) in Haitian Song, Cuban Soul. With Jane Bunnett and The Hilario Durán Trio. Live at the Glenn Gould Studio, in Toronto.

Jane Bunnett – Embracing Voices (EMI Canada/Blue Note 2008)

Jane Bunnett is never afraid to push the envelope. She did so with her 1988 album, In Dew Time, the now out-of-print vinyl that was produced privately by the Toronto imprint, Dark Light, on which producer, husband and trumpet/flugelhorn player Larry Cramer scooped both keyboard player Don Pullen and saxophonist Dewey Redman. Then followed an extraordinary slew of records, from those featuring Pullen—New York Duets and Live at the Sweet Basil (Music and Arts Program of America/Denon, 1989 and 1990 respectively—to her triumphant Cuban expeditionary albums throughout the 1980s, 1990s and the first half of the 2000s. Bunnett and Cramer, who conceive and craft each music project with a gospel-like fervor, have never shied away from the road less traveled.

But it is Spirituals and Dedications (Justin Time, 2002), which is—in many respects—the herald of Embracing Voices, a bravely challenging and spiritually complete (in the John Coltranesque sense) record.

Few instrumentalists in jazz have honored the human voice with such an all-embracing intensity on a single record. Through the history of the music there have been instances of vocal music—from the earliest blues shouters down to Bobby McFerrin’s extraordinary work with keyboard player Chick Corea, the St Paul Chamber Orchestra, his own Beyond Words (Blue Note, 2003) and the choral work of Take 6—but no single record has attempted such an all-embracing sweep of vocal/choral/instrumental music as Embracing Voices. This is a major project that honors the human spirit featuring the unique scope of the human voice and brave rhythmic, melodic and harmonic explorations into the extent of a breath of musical instrumentation.

The result is a record that has been made with a large instrumental group —fourteen instruments creating a musical bed for the heavenly choiristics of Grupo Vocal Desandann, the legendary ten-person ensemble that celebrates the legacy of Haitian a capella music in the Camagüey region of Eastern Cuba. The choral group employ dense harmonies, intricately woven into call-and-response segues and contrapuntal structures. But it is the perfect tonal tapestry of Grupo Desandann that makes for one of the most distinctive 10-voice choir in music. Stately basses grind con arco together with the trill of the high-flying soprano voices both ranges held together by the impervious glue of the contralto and counter-tenors in the middle.

Often these are melded with the bright skittering of the tres guitar and the rumble of the congas and tumbas, punctuated with the melodic clunk of the claves. On this record lead voices occasionally arise from the five male and five female singers like waves in an ocean of sound. Lead voices have also been crafted to include the rich sonic tapestry of Telmary Diaz’s rap, the soaring, soulful inflections of Kellylee Evans’ pipes and the gravelly and emotionally-charged blues of Molly Johnson, who leads the cast in one of the most definitive versions of legendary Belgian troubadour Jacques Brel’s “If you Go Away (Ne me quitte pas)” since Nina Simone.

The music runs the gamut of emotions that could possibly be sung by human voices, from the bluesy and melancholic to joyful and even ecstatic. Arrangements follow suit. There is a wonderful interplay of instruments, which provide impetus to the human voice and surround it with rich tonal colors. Larry Cramer’s trumpet—muted and open-belled—and flugelhorn brighten and darken moods with subtle shifts in notes and spaces. Don Thompson’s vibes do the same. Throughout it all Bunnett’s lead voice whether it be on soprano saxophone and flutes soars with infinite abandon—just as Coltrane and Eric Dolphy did on the “Africa/Brass” sessions—in and out of interstellar space.

The record opens with “Sway,” a fine composition that begins with a series of quarter notes sung a capella by Desandann before a drum roll that introduces the bass pedal point and the repetitive hypnotic riff draws in the rest of the group into its spirit-based musical vortex. The changes in the opening segment of the track are reminiscent of those on “India,” the famous chart introduced by Coltrane and Dolphy, but only the top half of the chorus. The minor-chord spell is broken in the bottom end of the song as it breaks down into a series of rapidly descending diminished chords that dramatically change mood of the song like the sun cracking open a dark sky to bathe everything in light.

“Kaleidoscope,” which once again features rich, minor variations at the start of the song, then proceeds to unfold like a vocalese poem, accompanied by flute and the militaristic rattle of a snare drum punctuated by splashes of cymbals. Bunnett’s flute takes a soaring solo as the emotion of the song is built up for Thompson’s vibes. The rhythm by now has quietly shifted into a backbeat of a samba. Tres and percussion herald the entry of the full complement of the vocal choir and other instruments and the bass voice, from Desandann soloing as the bass anchors in the Afro-Cuban segment that breaks in with timbales, cowbell and guiro—the cue for Cramer’s flugelhorn, which in turn re-introduces Bunnett’s flute as it intertwines with the voices as they add layer upon layer to the music as it builds up to an explosive finale.

The voices of Desandann then introduce us to the purest pain, on the deeply traditional Afro-Haitian coloration as the sopranos and mezzo-sopranos launch into “Wongolo,” followed by the rest of the voices. “Wongolo” is simply the most beautiful Haitian freedom song that says, “We will rise again…Haiti will not die…” Bunnett slides in with her own soprano voice behind a medley of percussion, daubing the music with music with light touches of brightness as it twists and turns bringing in the piano and the rest of the instruments before the song explodes ecstatically with voices and instruments melding into tres and marimba.

Bunnett’s flute flits like a firefly around the voice of Kellylee as “Serafina,” a bright work that is infused with the rhythmic intensity of a Cuban rumba and a streaming R&B romp into landscapes that cascade one into the other. The classic Jacques Brel/Rod McKwen chart, “Ne Me Quitte Pas” is next. This version is darker than most that have been sung. Bass and drums dominate the rhythmically intense arrangement, which heats up the gravelly voice of Molly Johnson as she describes the emotion of the break-up of the intense love affair. In the bridge that heralds the second mood that offers reason for staying vibes and piano create a brighter mood—but we are always reminded of the tragic circumstances of the principle character in the song by the choral bed that is provided by Desandann. Bunnett’s soprano saxophone—delicious in its lower register and skittering notes—and Thompson’s vibes have been showcased by the exquisite arrangement, especially after the final chord change moves the music into a major seventh.

“Pancho Quinto” pays tribute to the legendary Cuban percussionist in a novel manner: Telmary Diaz’s rap in counterpoint with the folksy son of Desandann, with flute, vibes, tres, conga and bass woven into the tapestry of the song. And if you thought that the folksy break would go on into the sunset, the interplay of voices, including Telmary’s street rap and Desandann’s spectacular smoky basses, wind up then down with the many-splendoured percussion leading the music into the fade. “I Hear Voices” is as spectacular as it is angular.

The track melds Cramer and Bunnett, muted trumpet and flute and scatting voices in another minor mode with guitar. A vehicle for the viola of Barry Schiffman, co-founder of the St. Lawrence String Quartet in Banff, Alberta, and the acrobatic flute of Bunnett and an almost vocalese version of a solo from Pablosky Rosales. Pianist David Virelles is also superb in his energetic modal solo. Bunnett soars high, just as the late Dolphy, on one of his famous sonic expeditions. Bass and drums maintain a riff based on the pedal point. This track too is reminiscent of Coltrane’s “Africa/Brass” songbook.

“Chen Nan Ren,” a protest song, is also a song of fervent hope, almost a prayer. Call response in Creole and French as voices—sopranos and basses intertwine—like dappled colors on a sonic canvas with the muted ring of the marimba and growl of the bass. Both duel gently with Cramer’s trumpet and Bunnett’s flute weaving in and out of the hypnotic voices of Desandann. Like an African prayer service.

“Egberto” is Thompson’s tribute to composer Egberto Gismonti. This extraordinary and exquisitely complex track was first performed for Gismonti himself in Toronto. The track gathers the voices of Desandann together with the rest of the instruments: Cramer’s is first to break as the a capella section describes a descent into a somber mood, soon to be brightened by Bunnett’s soprano and the voices of Grupo Desandann, which bring a somewhat calming effect until Thompson’s vibraharp takes over and shows why he is one of the finest on the instrument, where the blues of Milt Jackson and the soaring classicism of Bobby Hutcherson are reflected in his Thompson’s unique, individual voice. Then Bunnett again working her soprano in slow circular phrases from the bottom to the top of the register in a magnificent cascade of music.

“A Nu Danse” has a feel of almost being a classic descarga. Handclaps and voices with percussion introduce another intricate Haitian Creole and call/response before the conga soprano unaccompanied by anything except handclaps and voices. Cramer joins in the festivities with a single chorus on flugelhorn followed by Thompson on vibes—samba and Santeria and African rhythms and European marching all rolled into one. Bunnett returns to soar above the theme until the close. “Pa Gen Dlo” is perhaps the most fascinating and boldest experiment on the record. Part 1 is a short meditative vehicle for Bunnett’s saxophone and piano. Hypnotic, mesmerizing, a duet with piano and saxophone doing what voices did throughout the record. In Part 2, a capella voices create a prayer that wraps itself taut as the colors in Grupo Desandann voices unfold in gorgeous harmony.

Sheila Jordan’s “The Only One” brings the record to a close. Kellylee Evans leads and Bunnett, in her inimitable way pizzicato style, with minimum glissando, draws Desandann in as the song unfold like a cross between a blues and a slow rhumba with a melody twist that leap harmonically as it builds to the cinquillo rhythms of the bata drums that shook up the rituals of voodoo in Haiti and Santeria in Cuba. Bunnett’s reference to “Ornithology,” as the voices improvise on this theme—in the brassy backend of the song—is repeated until the music fades. Somehow the magical music of this set echoes seemingly forever as the notes disappear into a seemingly nocturnal soundscape.

With the release of Embracing Voices this journey made by Jane Bunnett, which began almost two decades ago, reaches a new peak of sorts. This record is going to set the standard by which vocal music and instruments make music in harmony. Both Jane Bunnett and Larry Cramer, who is an important a partner in the project, in terms of being its producer as well as an important musical contributor, should be justifiably proud of such a recording.

Finally it has been a while that the legendary Don Thompson has opened the door to his musical genius. On this record he plays bass, piano and vibraharp, arranges his own compositions, “Egberto” and “If You Go Away,” and as Bunnett herself suggests, is, with Bunnett and Cramer, a towering presence amid a group of musicians looking to make a significant contribution to the art of jazz. Any label that is bold enough to stand by music of this Afro-Cuban jazz kind deserves high praise for being brave and brassy in backing high creativity over rank popularity.

Tracks: Sway; Kaleidoscope; Wongolo; Serafina; If You Go Away; Pancho Quinto; I Hear Voices; Chen Nan Ren (Protest Song); Egberto; A Nu Danse; Pa Gen Dlo (There’s No Water); The Only One (For Sheila Jordan).

Personnel: Jane Bunnett: soprano saxophone and flute; Larry Cramer: trumpet and flugelhorn (1-3, 6-10, 12), producer; David Virelles: piano and marimba (1, 3-5, 7, 10, 12); Don Thompson: vibraharp (1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 10), piano (2, 9, 11), marimba (8), acoustic bass (5, 9); Junior Terry: acoustic bass (1-4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12); Jorge Torres (Papiosco): bata (2-5), bata and percussion (7, 8, 10, 12); Frank Durand: drums and marimba (1-5, 7-10, 12); Pablosky Rosales: tres (2-5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12); Barry Schiffman: viola (7); Grupo Vocal Desandann: vocals; Kellylee Evans: vocals (1, 2, 4, 12); Molly Johnson: vocals (5); Telmary Diaz: vocals and spoken words (6); the ensemble: coro.

www.janebunnett.com | www.myspace.com/embracingvoicesjanebunnett

*Photographs by Danilo Navas