Paquito

The "celebration" in question refers to Paquito becoming a U.S. citizen seven years after defecting from Cuba – and without question, he lives it up here by lavishing string arrangements on the majority of the tracks. Again, Paquito chooses to roam freely around the Latin and jazz spectrums, yet there is an appealing, newfound elegance in these tracks, even when the going gets raucous. "Wapango" has a stark, neo-classical string chart by Paquito, and Roger Kellaway contributes the fascinating, dream-like arrangement on "Heart of the Kingdom." Both of these tracks, which feature superb Paquito clarinet work, are along the lines of what Eddie Daniels was recording around this time. Claudio Roditi is back on bebop trumpet and Makoto Ozone, Daniel Freiberg and the always unpredictable Kellaway alternate in the piano chair.

This delightful project features altoist Paquito D'Rivera mostly playing clarinet in a trio with cellist Mark Summer and pianist Alon Yavnai. Although their set includes originals by all three musicians, the music overall is as strongly influenced by Cuban folk music and classical themes as by jazz. D'Rivera clearly enjoys mixing together the different idioms to create new and fresh music that is filled with the spirit and joy of his brand of jazz. The versatility of the three musicians is even more impressive than their inventive repertoire, making this a unique and highly recommended item in Paquito D'Rivera's extensive discography.

La Habana: Rio Conexion is saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera's attempt to bring the gospel of historical bolero to American listeners. These 12 cuts are steeped in the grand Cuban tradition and reinsert its cultural and historical center into a music that has been watered down to the point of being nondescript. But, of course, this is also a jazz recording, and D'Rivera is a jazz musician. The rhythmic and harmonic extrapolations are minimal, however, and focus on the integral form of the music whether it be the album's opening danza, Ernesto Lecuona's "La Comparsa," or the chorinho that closes the proceedings, Pixinguinha's "Segura Ele."

A rare discovery of virtually unknown recordings. These are the unreleased sessions long awaited by every Latin jazz fan. These sessions were recorded in La Havana between 1976 and 1978, but between his excellent sound quality and the innovative music that Paquito created, we were amazed to discover that they sound like they were recorded yesterday! A great mix of Jazz and Latin groove. With Arturo Sandoval, Chucho Valdes, Carlos Emilio Morales and Oscar Valdes.

The answer to this CD's title is the musicians. The heated bebop-oriented session finds Paquito D'Rivera joined by trumpeter Claudio Roditi, flügelhornist Mark Morganelli, Danilo Perez or Pedrito Lopez on piano, bassist Harvie Swartz, and drummer Al Foster. An extra treat is that veteran tenorman James Moody guests on three of the nine selections, inspiring D'Rivera to be particularly heated. Highlights include exciting versions of "Giant Steps" and "I Mean You," a clarinet-bass duet on "Out of Nowhere," Perez's "You Got It, Diz," and the blazing title cut. Highly recommended.

This album's tracks show a more focused side of D'Rivera's work during his days in Cuba. Several songs stem from his time with the seminal Cuban fusion band, Irakere; these tracks show his influence upon the band as both a soloist and overall stylist. More pieces from Irakere document their performance with the legendary guitarist Leo Brouwer. Some of these recordings were originally released on the album Great Moments, while others appear here for the first time. These songs demonstrate D'Rivera's ability to bridge distinct styles, from ragtime to classical and Afro-Cuban rhythms.

This Latin jazz performance by saxophone- and clarinet-player Paquito D'Rivera and pianist Chano Dominguez, along with their ensemble, was recorded at Madrid's Teatro Real in 2006.

Paquito D'Rivera's second recording as leader of the United Nation Orchestra features a live concert from 1997. By then the ensemble (which was Dizzy Gillespie's last big band) did not display that distinctive a personality and was clearly missing the late trumpeter. However, it still had plenty to offer including such players as trombonists Conrad Herwig and William Cepeda, guitarist Fareed Haque, trumpeter Diego Urcola, and, of course, its leader. Most of the material on the CD is from bandmembers but the three most memorable selections originated elsewhere: Emiliano Salvador's "Puerto Padre," Gillespie's "A Night in Tunisia," and Ernesto Lecuona's "Andalucia Medley," which is taken as a clarinet-bass duet.

Paquito D'Rivera's alto and clarinet skills were ably displayed on this session, which featured him working in Afro-Latin, salsa, funk, swing and hard bop. Compositions ranged from intense, jam-flavored numbers with torrid solos, like "Recife's Blue" and the title tune, to introspective ballads, group pieces with rhythmically explosive sections and numbers displaying classical influences. The unifying force was D'Rivera, who also played tenor, but was most prominent on clarinet, doing both swing-oriented and looser, freer solos. While not as strict a jazz vehicle as his Columbia dates, this session presented a more eclectic, versatile Paquito D'Rivera.