Ernesto Lecuona

Featuring Art Pepper's 1956 and 1957 Aladdin sessions, which have been issued on The Return of Art Pepper (Jazz West), Collections (Intro), Modern Art (Blue Note), Just Friends (Pacific Jazz), Solo Flight (Pacific Jazz), The Art of Pepper (Omega) and The Art of the Art (Nadja), Mosaic's 3-CD boxed set portrays the alto saxophonist in familiar company, full of life and at his best. The collection includes several bonus tracks, alternate takes, and material that was previously available only on reel-to-reel tape.

Pianist and composer Michel Camilo is renowned for combining rich harmonies with the Caribbean flavors and Latin rhythms of his native Dominican Republic. With his flawless technique and contemporary outlook, he incorporates a wide variety of jazz elements into his work, citing McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett and Erroll Garner as some of his influences. One of the most important jazz musicians to emerge in the past decade, Camilo marks his move to Telarc with Triangulo, his most adventurous yet accessible recording to date.

Hilton Ruiz, whose life ended in tragic circumstances in New Orleans in 2006 was a hugely talented and popular artist. From his solo work to the now legendary duets with the late Major Holley, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Tito Puente, Symphony orchestras, and the various aggregations of his own, Hilton was a master of many styles. When it came to caressing the ivories, Ruiz had the class of Erroll Garner and Noro Morales with the sophistication of Duke Ellington and Ernesto Lecuona all wrapped up into one. You'll hear these elements and more when listening to this album including the explosive rhythm section of Andy Gonzalez on bass, Steve Berrios on drums, Giovanni Hidalgo on congas and percussion, and tenor saxophonists David Sanchez and Peter Brainin.

Superb compilation from russia with 16 quick and uplifting tunes of the nouveau flamenco style, played by the virtuosi Armik, Antonio Cobo, Robert Michaels, Nova Menco and Lara & Reyes. A versatile collection with representative pieces for every artist and among them Ernesto Lecuona's classics "Malaguena" and "La comparsa", in new age arangements. Enjoy an excellent nouveau flamenco anthology.

Pianist Frank Emilio Flynn has recorded, albeit infrequently, in combo settings, and has interpreted the music of Cuban classicist Ernesto Lecuona. For this one he pulls out the entire Afro-Cuban arsenal of rhythms and son stylings. He features a good mix of clave, rhumba, descarga, romantico, and Latin-based pieces with a flair that is not as frantic as Eddie Palmieri or Chucho Valdes, but is easily as literate and skilled. Among the nine musicians are the great percussionists Tata Guines and Changuito, wooden flute player Joaquin Gavilan, bassist William Rubalcaba, two violinists, and two singers.

Anat Cohen's music is literally all over the map. Across her previous six albums, Cohen has explored the sounds of America, Brazil, France, Cuba, South Africa, and her homeland, Israel; she's addressed the work of John Coltrane, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Benny Goodman, Abdullah Ibrahim, Sam Cooke, Jacques Brel, Edith Piaf, Louis Armstrong, Ernesto Lecuona, Luiz Bonfa, and numerous others; and she's delivered original material that speaks to her ceaseless globetrotting. Here, she continues to explore a wide range of music, but there's a bit more focus on a single locale.