Home » Jazz Articles » Play This! » Hilario Durán and his Latin Jazz Big Band: Cry Me A River

Hilario Durán and his Latin Jazz Big Band: Cry Me A River

By John Chacona
December 20, 2023
View read count

Believe it or not, people were writing kiss-off songs long before Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake. This one was made famous by the unjustly neglected Julie London in 1955, but you've never heard it done like this before. Havana-born pianist Hilario Duran arranged this title song from a 2023 recording on his own Alma Records label as a roaring son montuno for big band. Thanks to a fervent lead vocal and searing violin solo from Elizabeth Rodriguez, this venerable torch song never blazed quite so hot. It might come as a surprise to learn that the session was recorded in Toronto, but that city is home to a large and growing Afro-Caribbean community and a bubbling music scene. The great Canadian saxophonist Jane Bunnett who has brought many Cuban musicians to Canada—including Durán—told this writer, "Once you get the clavé in you, it never leaves you and you hear the whole world in clavé." After hearing "Cry Me A River" in clavé, you might never again be able to hear it any other way.

FOLLOW John Chacona and get notified whenever a new article published.
John Chacona is a freelance journalist, content writer and producer in Cleveland.

About Hilario Duran

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Steve Davis Meets Hank Jones, Vol. 1
< Previous

The Watermelon Sessions
Next >

Become a Sustaining Member

Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.

Help Build the Future of All About Jazz

Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.

Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.

Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.