Luis Conte may not be a household name, but anybody with access to music in the past thirty years has probably heard his playing. Conte has served as the percussion colorist of choice for the musical elite and, with appearances on hundreds of albums that touch on virtually every genre, from jazz to pop to film scores to Latin music and beyond, his playing has become the rhythmic undercurrent on the soundtrack of our lives. While Conte remains a first-call musician who is frequently summoned for studio sessions, touring, and television work, he managed to carve out some time to lay down the eleven songs that make up this percussive portrait.

Conte frequently works in the cracks or crevices of a song, but this music places him front and center. His creativity, virtuosity, and musical flexibility come to the forefront as he uses dozens of different instruments to achieve his artistic vision. A jam-like vibe surrounds certain performances ("En Casa De Luis" and "El Rumbero Mas Chevere"), while others have a more polished outlook, but Conte also sculpts songs that have a worldly visage. A pan-global, tropical flavored number that gives Conte a chance to cover the whole instrumental gamut, including bass, accordion, congas, and keyboards ("Conga Melody"), and the African-leaning "Eden" are two notable examples.

Stylistic continuity is ultimately less of a concern to Conte than the art of creation, whether spontaneous or premeditated, with family and friends. The Conte clan joins the leader, adding ambience to the album opener and hand claps to "Conga Melody," pianist