Bill Cunliffe - Imaginacion

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:11
Size: 154,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:50)  1. El Optimista
(5:57)  2. Do It Again
(7:12)  3. Bone Crusher
(8:22)  4. Afluencia
(6:57)  5. Chuco
(7:46)  6. Havana
(7:23)  7. Heat Wave
(6:04)  8. How High The Moon
(5:34)  9. Pure Imagination
(5:00) 10. Flying High

Grammy-nominated pianist Bill Cunliffe loves a good melody. He's recorded a couple of sets of Reed Kotler's beautifully lyrical tunes, most recently Tomo (Torii, '05). With his latest offering, Imaginacion, the pianist/arranger wraps some melodies his own and a few classics in a strong Latin vibe. The expanded lineup, featuring two trombones, two trumpets, and a reed player, plus piano and bass, along with three percussionists, offers more harmonic possiblities, and Cunliffe has a genius in this arena, crafting lush washes of sound over the percolating percussion.

Five of the tunes here are Cunliffe originals, and the covers are well-chosen: Steely Dan's "Do It Again," the American Songbook classic "How High The Moon," and a gorgeously cool take on Irving Berlin's "Heat Wave," featuring the gentle freon caress of Bob Shepard's flute work a highlight for this listener. And of course, there's a Reed Kotler tune (Kotler produced the disc): the spicy closer, "Flying High." The Cunliffe-penned "Chucho" (for Cuban piano great Chucho Valdes, a logical guess), cooks with one fine solo after another a trumpet soaring out of horn interplay, then Bob Shepard's tangy soprano sax, followed by a belt-it-out trombone turn, over always the ebullient percussion. This is the type of recording that earns Grammy nods beautiful and perfectly crafted tunes without a weak spot to be found. Perhaps the next review of a Bill Cunliffe record will say "Grammy Award-winner" on it. ~ Dan Mcclenaghan  

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/imaginacion-bill-cunliffe-torii-records-review-by-dan-mcclenaghan.php#.U8_yqLFryM0
 

Personnel: Bill Cunliffe--piano, arranger; Bob Shepard--sax, flute; Bobby Shew, Kye Palmer--trumpet; Bruce Paulson, Arturo Velasco--trombone; Rene Camacho--bass; Joey De Leon, Jose "Papo" Rodriquez--percussion; Ramon Banda--drums

Imaginacion

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