Giovanni Hidalgo - Hands Of Rhythm

Styles: Latin Jazz, World Fusion 
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:12
Size: 119,0 MB
Art:

(5:53)  1. And Sammy Walked In
(5:08)  2. Footprints
(4:22)  3. Amo Esta Isla
(4:16)  4. Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise
(4:11)  5. My Soul Beat
(4:50)  6. Papa Boco
(3:47)  7. Blue Monk
(5:15)  8. If You Knew...
(4:05)  9. En Mi Viejo San Juan
(6:18) 10. Hello And Goodbye
(3:02) 11. Hands In Motion

Could a collaborative effort between Dominican piano virtuoso Michel Camilio and Giovanni Hidalgo, who is commonly known as the finest living conguero, possibly live up to the expectations? The answer Hands of Rhythm offers is nothing short of "All that and them some, baby." The beautiful thing about hearing both Camilo and Hidalgo in a rare duo format is that unlike larger band contexts, their genius does not compete for sonic space with anyone. Every note, every stroke is clearly audible, and crystal clear. Almost as fantastic as the instrumental performance was the repertoire chosen. In fact, the overall flavor is not what one might expect from two players known well for blistering speed. A haunting, sensitive rendition of "Footprints" and the reminiscent "En Mi Viejo San Juan" are welcome surprises from a percussion lead duo. "Softly as in the Morning" and "Blue Monk" are swinging from start to finish. With these jazzy selections, the bossa nova-at-its-best "If You Knew," and the merengue "Papa Boco," Hands of Rhythm shies away from the clave-driven music that made these two men famous. 

And yet, they prove themselves as adept in any one idiom as the other. Hidalgo and Camilo make up for their small numbers with both taste and sheer brilliance. Hands of Rhythm is required listening for both these musician's loyal fan bases, and the Latin jazz listening public alike. ~ Evam C. Guttierrez https://www.allmusic.com/album/hands-of-rhythm-mw0000081472

Personnel: Giovanni Hidalgo: Bongos, Chimes, Composer, Congas; Michel Camilo: Piano

Hands Of Rhythm

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Michel Camilo - Live In London

Size: 123,7 MB
Time: 53:29
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz: Piano Jazz
Art: Front

01. From Within (Live) (10:37)
02. The Frim Fram Sauce (Live) ( 5:51)
03. A Place In Time (Live) ( 8:08)
04. Island Beat (Live) ( 5:30)
05. Sandra's Serenade (Live) ( 6:26)
06. Manteca (Live) ( 7:48)
07. I Got Rhythm - Caravan - Sing Sing Sing (Live) ( 9:05)

While he may be best known for fronting dynamic trios, piano titan Michel Camilo does just fine by himself. There's tremendous propulsion, clarity, and strength in play when Camilo takes to the bench, and there's truly no place better to hear that than in a solo setting.

Camilo has explored this format on record before—first on Solo (Telarc, 2005), later on What's Up? (Okeh, 2013)—but those efforts spoke to his work in the studio. Live In London was captured on the stage, making it Camilo's first live solo record. In many respects, the distinction is unimportant. His dazzling technique, complete with Art Tatum-esque flourishes, classical allusions, and Latin jazz flair, rarely differs from album to album or place to place. And his directional compass typically points to the same realms. The real difference that's noticeable here is in how Camilo responds to the moment and, subsequently, how the music blooms. His pianistic proficiency on all three albums is incontestable—let's face it, the man's chops are out of this world—but the level of passion he projects on this one completely trumps what he brought to those aforementioned dates.

Those in attendance for this performance at The Queen Elizabeth Hall in June of 2015 were given a real treat, as Camilo clearly wasted no time getting down to business. "From Within," where rhapsodizing quickly gives way to fervent thoughts, kicks off the show, serving as a springboard into the pianist's world. Then Camilo provides a quick detour to another time and place on "The Frim Fram Sauce" before returning to his own oeuvre with a glowing and dazzling "A Place In Time." Two more originals follow, offering contrast in tempo and tone. "Island Beat," a dance-friendly Cuban treat with a montuno foundation, and "Sandra's Serenade," built on contemplative ground, couldn't be more different. Yet both speak directly to the artist's state of mind and artistic outlook.

To wrap things up, Camilo gives the audience some crowd-pleasers with substance and power. "Manteca" is a tour de force, grooving over its insistent bass line, darting here and there, pouncing, sprinting, and even taking a brief trip to a Harlem rent party; and the album-ending medley—a sweat-inducing trip through "I Got Rhythm," "Caravan," and "Sing Sing Sing"—plays as vaudeville and pure virtuosity rolled into one entertaining package. Michel Camilo's been operating on this high a level for decades, but he consistently remains something to marvel at. ~Dan Bilawsky

Live In London

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Michel Camilo - Thru My Eyes

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:10
Size: 144.6 MB
Styles: Piano jazz, Hard bop, Latin jazz
Year: 1997
Art: Front

[5:04] 1. Poinciana
[5:04] 2. Perdido
[4:25] 3. Watermelon Man
[6:06] 4. A Night In Tunisia
[6:00] 5. Song For My Father
[4:31] 6. Armando's Rhumba
[5:25] 7. St. Thomas
[3:39] 8. Oye Como Va
[6:03] 9. Afro Blue
[6:18] 10. Mambo Inn
[3:48] 11. My Little Suede Shoes
[6:43] 12. Manteca

THRU MY EYES is pianist Michel Camilo's take on his favorite standard tunes. With but a few exceptions, Camilo, being such an accomplished composer, has found little need in past efforts to resort to covering other artist's songs. Here, however, his keen musical taste has yielded a collection of 12 outstanding interpretations of some of the best Latin-flavored gems in the repertoire. With such high-class sidemen as Anthony Jackson, John Patitucci and percussion powerhouse Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez, Camilo has turned in yet another top-flight performance.

The classic "Poinciana" opens the set with a gentle bounce as Camilo proceeds to wash lush chords over the silky melody. Next, "Perdido" gets an exciting Latin workout before heading into a burning bebop solo by the leader. As expected, Latin jazz favorites like "A Night In Tunisia," "Manteca" and "St. Thomas" are given a vigorous turn with that special Camilo touch. Several surprises are in store, however, as Chick Corea's "Armando's Rhumba," Tito Puente's "Oye Como Va" and Bird's "My Little Suede Shoes" are given refreshing interpretations with plenty of delightful solo work by all. If you are tired of cookie cutter standards records, this is a standout collection by a legendary performer.

Recording Date: October 30, 1996 - November 3, 1996

Thru My Eyes

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Various - A Tribute To Charlie Parker

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 88:12
Size: 201.9 MB
Styles: Assorted jazz styles
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[ 2:06] 1. Charlie Parker - Scrapple From The Apple
[ 7:55] 2. Grant Green - Cool Blues
[ 6:30] 3. Louis Smith - Au Privave
[ 6:15] 4. Paul Chambers - Chasin' The Bird
[ 5:25] 5. Stanley Turrentine - The Jumpin' Blues
[15:14] 6. Art Blakey - Moose The Mooche
[ 9:32] 7. Clifford Jordan - Billie's Bounce
[ 4:39] 8. Buddy Rich - Now's The Time
[ 3:08] 9. Roy Ayers - Donna Lee
[ 1:56] 10. Carmen Mcrae - Yardbird Suite
[ 4:10] 11. Elvin Jones - Anthropology
[ 4:10] 12. Ernie Andrews - Parker's Mood
[ 5:46] 13. Howard Roberts - Relaxin' At Camarillo
[ 3:48] 14. Michel Camilo - My Little Suede Shoes
[ 7:32] 15. Jim Hall - Scrapple From The Apple

In terms of his global influence and enduring legacy, alto saxophonist Charlie Parker was unquestionably one of the most important artistic figures of the 20th century. Almost sixty years after his premature demise Parker's musical DNA can be detected almost everywhere jazz is played. Parker's music—and in no small measure his myth—has inspired countless jazz musicians but it has also inspired authors, painters, film makers and a surprising number of poets.

A Tribute To Charlie Parker

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Michel Camilo & Tomatito - 2 albums: Spain / Spain Again

Album: Spain
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 45:05
Size: 103.2 MB
Styles: Flamenco guitar, Piano jazz
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[3:28] 1. Spain Intro
[5:30] 2. Spain
[7:51] 3. Besame Mucho
[4:48] 4. A Mi Niño José
[5:55] 5. Two Much Love Theme
[6:00] 6. Para Troilo Y Salgán
[5:24] 7. La Vacilona
[6:06] 8. Aire De Tango

SPAIN won the 2000 Latin Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album. There's a simple, basic, and direct approach that pervades the duets from pianist Camilo and acoustic guitarist Tomatito. But that seemingly bottom-line approach is transcended by the brilliant musicianship of these two players, as they play ultra-melodic music to its ultimate zenith time and time again. The tone is set from the get go as they languish in the freedom of Rodrigo and Chick Corea's "Spain," played as perfectly and spirited as anyone could want. But "Besame Mucho" is changed up, interpreted in loose associations extrapolated out of strict time on this famous melody. Tomatito wrote two of the eight tracks as the pair use a combination of counterpoint and unison lines, approaching sheer telepathy on the brightly melodic "A Mi Nino Jose," while evoking more Chick Corea-isms with melodies passionately flying about on "La Vacilona." Two compositions by the underappreciated Luis Salinas are included as the urgent 4/4 of "Para Troilo Y Salgan" shows Camilo and Tomatito to be the virtuosic speed demons their preceding reputations evince, while "Aire De Tango" is like a samba version of "I Concentrate on You," nicely warmed with a calmed guitar solo. Camilo's lone writing on "Two Much/Love Theme" is also restrained and relaxed, atypical for the usually fiery pianist. This is a recording that bears ripe, luscious fruit, albeit only 45 minutes worth. A follow-up please. Recommended. ~ Michael G. Nastos

Recorded at Carriage House Studios, Stamford, Connecticut in August 1999.

Michel Camilo (piano); Tomatito (flamenco guitar).

Spain

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Album: Spain Again
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 52:03
Size: 119.1 MB
Styles: Flamenco guitar, Jazz piano
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[5:16] 1. El Dia Que Me Quieras
[4:06] 2. Libertango
[3:49] 3. Fuga Y Misterio
[7:14] 4. Adios Nonino
[3:27] 5. Stella By Starlight
[5:10] 6. Twilight Glow
[4:34] 7. A Los Nietos
[2:02] 8. La Tarde
[5:54] 9. La Fiesta
[6:18] 10. From Within
[4:07] 11. Amor De Conuco

Michel Camilo, the New York-based, Dominican-born pianist, and Tomatito, the Spanish flamenco guitarist, recorded a well-received duets album called Spain in 2000, and this sequel is intended to take the collaboration to the next level. Spain Again does. It's a bravura performance that pushes both men into strange and satisfying new territories and spotlights the abilities of each to find places where they are mutually comfortable and inspired. As on the first pairing, the musicianship is flawless throughout, the two virtuosos dancing around each other's melodies, creating fascinating, harmonious bridges, building upon and toying with structural ideas beyond what each composition calls for. Camilo's complex jazz piano inventions suddenly give way to Tomatito's spellbinding acoustic guitar runs; the two meet someplace in the middle, enjoy the freedom that unfettered exploration allows, and emerge with new entities that only an alliance of equals can bring about. The pace is set quickly with "El Dia Eque Me Quieras," a tribute to tango legend Astor Piazzolla, moves through various originals and standards (a silky, semi-classical "Stella by Starlight" is both graceful and awe-inspiring in its mastery) and eventually finds its way to the only vocal piece on the album, "Amor de Conuco," sung by guest Juan Luis Guerra. Strangely, though the vocal is quite lovely, it's a mood-breaker, diminishing the evocative elegance that Camilo and Tomatito have spent much of the past hour laying out. ~ Jeff Tamarkin

Musically, Camilo & Tomatito come from 2 different worlds. Camilo grew up in the Dominican Republic but has lived in New York since 1979 & is classically-trained as well as a straight-ahead acoustic jazz pianist who incorporates Latin & Caribbean elements, citing Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans and Art Tatum as influences. Tomatito lives in his native Spain, born into a family of Gypsies and is recognized as one of the country's top flamenco guitarists. Discovered at an early age by Paco de Lucía, Tomatito is the premier flamenco guitarist of his generation and has accompanied Spain's greatest flamenco singers including the legendary Camarón de la Isla. Navigating the boundaries of jazz and flamenco, Camilo and Tomatito create an experience that is both unique and unforgettable. This reunion includes their original compositions, a Tribute to Piazzolla, jazz standards and a collaboration with renowned singer/songwriter Juan Luis Guerra.

Recording information: Avatar Studios, New York, NY (02/19/2006-02/24/2006); El Estudio A (02/19/2006-02/24/2006).

Michel Camilo (piano); Tomatito (flamenco guitar).

Spain Again 

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