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Hilario Duran: Cry Me A River

By Pierre Giroux
September 27, 2023
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Hilario Duran

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Hilario Duran is a renowned Cuban-Canadian jazz pianist and composer known for contributing to Latin jazz. He does not release big band efforts often, but with the release of Cry Me A River, he has reconstituted his Latin Jazz Big Band to take us on an extraordinary musical journey, effortlessly blending myriad genres into his singular style. Durán's Afro-Caribbean cultural attachment informs the nine works of both originals and covers in this outing, resulting in a unique tapestry of sound.

Opening with "Pacá por Juanito," which is a tribute to Cuban guitarist Juanito Márquez, Durán acknowledges that he learned to arrange for a big band by studying Marquez' scores. He studied well, judging by the command over his craft, in a chart filled with harmonic sensibility. The following track is "Mambo y Tambao," another dedicated composition, this time to

Bebo Valdes

piano
1918 - 2013

" data-original-title="" title="">Bebo Valdes—who invented the 'batanga' rhythm—and influential bandleader

Perez Prado

composer / conductor
1916 - 1989

" data-original-title="" title="">Perez Prado. Durán's skillful and sparkling piano work leads the band through the vibrant arrangement, which skips and leaps around the rhythmic elements.

Moving to "I Remember Mingus," which is a tribute to

Charles Mingus

bass, acoustic
1922 - 1979

" data-original-title="" title="">Charles Mingus the great bassist, composer and band leader, Durán has mapped the arrangement to give prominence to bassist

Marc Rogers

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Marc Rogers. He also allocated solo space to high-profile alto saxophonist

Paquito D'Rivera

clarinet
b.1948

" data-original-title="" title="">Paquito D'Rivera and wrote a couple of bars of Mingus-like musical figures. The result is a number filled with sharply etched pulsations.

The two covers are the title track "Cry Me A River" and the

Dizzy Gillespie

trumpet
1917 - 1993

" data-original-title="" title="">Dizzy Gillespie classic "Night In Tunisia." The former was an American torch song written by Arthur Hamilton and made famous in 1955 by

Julie London

vocals
1926 - 2000

" data-original-title="" title="">Julie London. In a blend of nostalgia and vivacity, Durán integrated these elements to provide a showcase for Elizabeth Rodriguez to demonstrate her vocal talent and instrumental dexterity on violin with a dazzling solo improvisation. The latter number becomes a tour de force for alto saxophonist D'Rivera as he slides through each register with structural perfection in a track infused with throbbing energy.

The closer is Frederic Chopin's composition "Fantasia Impromptu," which is a classical/jazz mash-up and features D'Rivera on clarinet. The complex Brazilian/Cuban overlay that Durán imparts to the Chopin theme and the musicians' virtuosity should satisfy the most discerning jazz purists.

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Track Listing

Pacá por Juanito; Mambo y Tumbao; Claudia; I Remember Mingus; Cry Me A River; Night in Tunisia; Wild Blues; Esperando la Carroza (Waiting for the Float); Fantasia Impromptu.

Personnel

Hilario Duran

piano

Paquito D'Rivera

clarinet

Roberto Occhipinti

bass

Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez

drums

Luis Mario Ochoa

guitar

Album information

Title: Cry Me A River | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Alma Records

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