Gabriel Palatchi: Trivolution

Argentinian pianist and composer Gabriel Palatchi offers his third album since 2010 with the genre-bending eclectic and multi-cultural Trivolution, forging a thirteen-piece repertoire of Latin jazz, Middle Eastern, Argentinian Tango, funk and other styles in a vibrant and varied musical package. The pianist—who currently spends his time between Canada, Mexico and Argentina—formed his working trio with Mexican drummer Jose Maria 'Chema' Gonzalez and Canadian bassist Kerry Galloway back in 2010 in Mexico City but includes eleven special guests spread throughout the thirteen-track album essentially changing the format to a quartet on many tunes.

The music comes charging out of the gate on the explosive "Dinamita" with a flurry on the keys by the leader and pounding stick work from the drummer on a quick-paced Latin jazz feature. Taking the reins of the Nord electro piano and synthesizer, Palatchi leads the way on the very funky "What Da Funk" with a little help from guests drummer Marco Castro and vocals from David Gall. "Granizo" is another lively up tempo piece of modern Latin jazz featuring Manuel Gonzalez on the congas.

Bandoneon player Gabriel Fernandez guests on the rousing and brisk tango-flavored "Tanguinho," one of the striking tunes of the set along with the following "Quedate," which provides the leader with an opportunity to show his chops on the piano on a truly beautiful and light jazz number that will resonate with the most audiences. A taste of the Middle East is on tap on the exotic "Jag Time" featuring solos from violinist Natalia Arroyo and trombonist Reinier Toledo who together, help bring the typical regional sound to the front.

Palatchi takes to the synthesizer and electric piano once again on the perky funk-driven "Eso Si!!" before turning the group on to a more modern jazz piece with the whirlwind "Huracan" and the sounds of guitarist Kevin Thiessen. The music begins to round out with the firm, hard-sounding dark-toned "The Battle" with the electric guitar riffs from Thiessen, Castro's strong drum work and Palatchi's haunting keys, marking the tune. The finale "Vive" however, is in quite stark contrast to its predecessor or the entire album in general, this lively Latin number features typical salsa sounds and has singers Fernando Masan and Abel Virreyes on vocals for one shoulder-moving ending to a stellar session.

Young Argentinian pianist Gabriel Palatchi, strikes a chord of amazing sounds in yet another cross-genre musical experiment on Trivolution which, by now, is something to be expected from Palatchi whose revolutionary music is becoming more of the norm, and not the exception, ensuring this gifted musician, a unique place in the ever-changing landscape of jazz, well done!