Michel Camilo: Spirit of the Moment

Although he was born in the Dominican Republic and has won Latin Grammy awards, it would be inaccurate to lump pianist Michel Camilo into the catch-all category of Latin jazz. Sure, his roots are in Latin music and he imbues much of his playing with Afro-Caribbean beats, but he's best described as a jazz artist. Period. And, as his eclectic Spirit of the Moment shows, he can play just about any kind of jazz as well as anyone out there.

Camilo divides the album into three distinct sections, each consisting of four tunes. The opening section features original compositions, including the New Orleans-meets-Santo Domingo romp "Just Now and the poignant "My Secret Place. The second section focuses on interpretations of modern jazz classics—Wayne Shorter's "Nefertiti, Bill Evans' "Nardis and a nearly unrecognizable deconstruction of Coltrane's "Giant Steps. The final section is given to more harmonically challenging material, including a version of Miles Davis' "Solar with the appropriately ethereal title, "Solar (Explorations).

Camilo performs all this with a frequently stunning virtuosity that's become a given for this gifted artist. He's ably abetted on this highly recommended effort by a Cuban-born rhythm section featuring longtime associate Charles Flores on bass and relative newcomer Dafnis Prieto on drums.

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