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“The
concept upon which the collection
is built – the map,
as Camilo puts it – is
to balance three different
universes. By giving equal
representation to music from
Brazil, jazz-related standards,
and his own original compositions,
Camilo has created an interwoven
trilogy that yields his own
distinct profile.”
Bob Blumenthal, from the liner notes
Well-known
for his fiery style and intimate
familiarity with a vast range
of jazz and Latin idioms, Grammy
winner Michel Camilo has always
had a sense of musical adventure,
and his third Telarc release
is no exception. Critics everywhere
have praised the Dominican
jazz pianist’s talents
as a composer and arranger,
but Solo showcases him as a
performer. Although Camilo
has been honing the concept
for seven years, this is his
first solo album and marks
a major milestone in his career.
“ It
certainly took me a long time
to go into the studio and record
this album,” Camilo says. “since
I wanted it to be a deep personal
statement that would reflect
on some of my musical influences,
as well as the exotic colors,
textures and nuances which
I have been developing into
my piano playing for the last
several years.”
Produced
by Camilo and recorded at Avatar
Studios in New York in May
2004 without any overdubs,
the 12 tracks on Solo are organized
as a trilogy spotlighting four
Brazilian gems (Francis Hime’s “Minha” and “Atrás
Da Porta,” along with
Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Luiza” and “Corcovado”),
four jazz standards (“The
Frim Fram Sauce,” Monk’s “‘Round
Midnight,” Gershwin’s “Our
Love Is Here To Stay,” and “Someone
To Watch Over Me”), and
three new Camilo originals.
The album closes with a reworking
of the pianist/composer’s
popular “Suntan.”
“ I
think of this album as a trilogy,” adds
Camilo. “with three musical
worlds which are close to my
heart equally represented and
at the same time each song
telling a story that I hope
will touch the listener in
a special way.”
Born in
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic,
in 1954, Michel Camilo is one
of the most riveting performers
in jazz today – as immortalized
by his blazing performance
in the film Calle 54. Although
a jazz player first and foremost,
he’s clearly not afraid
of developing a reputation
as one who breaks the rules.
Camilo is equally renowned as a composer, and artists ranging from Dizzy Gillespie
to The Manhattan Transfer have performed his works. His diverse resume includes
performances with symphony orchestras, compositions for film, and collaborative
projects with musicians like Paquito D’Rivera and pianists Katia and
Marielle Labeque. Spain, Camilo’s 2000 Verve release with flamenco
guitarist Tomatito, won Best Latin Jazz Album in the first Latin Grammy Awards.
Triangulo (CD-83549),
Camilo’s critically acclaimed
2002 Telarc debut with Anthony
Jackson on bass and longtime
drummer Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez.
on drums, was nominated for
Best Jazz Instrumental Album
at the Grammys and Best Latin
Jazz Album at the Billboard
Latin Music Awards.
Released
in 2003, Live at the Blue
Note was Camilo’s
first live album and his first
recording with a Cuban rhythm
section. This two-CD set, which
scored a Grammy® for Best
Latin Jazz Album, offered a
mix of mostly originals, played
with gusto by bassist Charles
Flores and drummer Hernandez.
In 2004, Camilo won JazzWeek’s
Award for Artist of the Year.
Available
in CD and SACD, Solo,
Camilo’s 16th album overall,
provides a stunning demonstration
of Camilo’s creativity,
transcending technical virtuosity
and improvisational vocabulary
to convey real emotion.
Solo Liner Notes
Bob Blumenthal
Michel Camilo
is what I would call a cosmopolitan
musician. This is not a matter
of his origins in the Dominican
Republic and his international
fame as a jazz pianist, but
more of a perspective he brings
to his art. Like all of today’s
best music-makers, regardless
of homeland or genre, Camilo
keeps his ears open to the
diverse possibilities that
distinct styles and instrumentations
present. Still, given the sustained
success he has enjoyed in his
primary format of choice over
the past two decades, it is
difficult not to think of Camilo
as a great trio pianist. The
trio, after all, is the context
in which he has done much of
his performing and most of
his recording. It has proven
to be ideal for displaying
his energy, virtuosity, and
exceptional interactive skills.
Yet trio
playing has been anything but
an exclusive focus for Camilo.
Search his discography and
you will find a duo collaboration,
a big band session and a recording
with symphony orchestra. Until
this disc, however, there has
been no recorded evidence of
a Michel Camilo solo recital,
even though Camilo clearly
possesses both the technical
and interpretive skills to
succeed in such an exposed
setting. Solo performance has
also come to occupy a more
significant place in his performing
schedule in the past seven
years, in settings as diverse
as the intimate Weil Recital
Hall in Manhattan and the vast
outdoor expanses of the festival
in Marciac, France. “I
wanted my solo album to be
special,” Camilo says
in explaining the delay. “I
took my time conceptualizing,
so I could make a statement” This
album shows that the time has
been exceptionally well spent.
The concept
upon which the collection is
built – the map, as Camilo
puts it – is to balance
three different universes.
By giving equal representation
to music from Brazil, jazz-related
standards and his own original
compositions, Camilo has created
an interwoven trilogy that
yields his own distinct profile.
Brazil had to be a focal point “because of the rich harmonies and melodic
content of so much Brazilian music,” Camilo explains, “and because
I worked with so many Brazilian musicians when I was a member of Paquito D’Rivera’s
band. It is also my way of thanking Tania Maria, a great friend who was the
first to push me onto the stage as a featured artist. Tania had many after-hours
musical soirees at her place, and I met Antonio Carlos Jobim at one of them.
I wanted to go a little deeper with the Brazilian music, though, to some songs
that were more obscure to Americans, so I included Jobim’s `Luiza’ as
well as `Corcovado,’ and I also picked two originals by Francis Hime.” Some
listeners will know “Minha” because Bill Evans recorded it on several
occasions, but fewer may be familiar with “Atras da Porta,” which
was made famous by Elis Regina and co-author Chico Buarque. None of these gems
are performed in typical samba fashion; and while “Corcovado” may
be the most surprising in this ruminative reading, Camilo also notes that his
sotto voce reading of “Atras De Porta” provides what for him is
the album’s most intense moment.
The jazz-related
portion of the program includes
two standards by another favorite
composer, George Gershwin. “He
is very close to my heart,
and I’ve discovered so
much about composing and performing
from playing his music – the
`Piano Concerto in F’ and
`Rhapsody in Blue’ as
well as the Tin Pan Alley stuff.” Camilo
also notes that finesse is
required to interpret Gershwin
properly, and illustrates his
contention with versions of “Our
Love is Here to Stay” and “Someone
to Watch over Me” that
are models of taste and judiciously
applied technique.
“`Round
Midnight” and “Frim
Fram Sauce” each represent
what Camilo describes as “a
reflection of my musical baggage – what
I’ve grown with, and
what I’ve always wanted
to play - but looking from
a different angle.” The
former is presented as a tango
(“My tribute to [Astor]
Piazzaolla through Monk,” Camilo
jokes), and underscores the
rhythmic richness to be found
even in Monk’s most pensive
ballads. “Frim Fram Sauce” has
gone through an even more surprising
metamorphosis, while still
reflecting Camilo’s determination
to tap into new elements of
a song without ignoring the
composer’s original intent.
This version was inspired by
a friend who owns every recorded
version of the old Nat Cole
hit, and who once spent a Christmas
vacation with Camilo trying
in vain to locate the composer
after his name was found in
a Florida telephone directory.
For this listener, the four original compositions are the heart of the album,
and manifest most clearly Camilo’s desire to make each track a chapter
in a larger story. “`A Dream’ is a fantasy,” he explains. “It
shifts between minor and major keys, beginning translucent and becoming clear
in the middle, major section. It’s based on the contradanza rhythm from
Cuba, mixed with the danza from Puerto Rico, two rhythm styles from the early
20th century made contemporary. I was very concerned with tone, getting that
velvety sound, and like a dream, it goes through many stories, in and out,
even bluesy textures.”
Echoes of
the blues also reverberate
through “Reflections,” which
(fittingly, given its title)
is the longest performance
in the collection. “This
is based on a guajira rhythm,
which is the equivalent of
the blues in Caribbean music.
It represents my journey to
get where I am today, with
a lot of blues and even bebop
on the bridges, plus the montuno
release at very end of the
song. That’s typical
guajira – you must end
with a montuno to be authentic.
It’s not unlike a New
Orleans funeral in that respect,
with a more celebratory feeling
on the way home.”
“Un
Son” looks to the Cuban
son. “This is one of
the foundations of all Latin
rhythms, but I had never recorded
a son on any of my previous
albums. The composition is
more contemporary in terms
of chord progressions, but
the traditional release is
still there. The melodic part
lends itself to a different
treatment, even while strictly
following the clave rhythm.” Camilo
adds that “the challenge
of carrying the beat without
a rhythm section was significant,” but
one that he met with his usual
grace.
“Suntan” should
be familiar to Camilo’s
fans. First heard in a 1986
trio version, then reprised
by a big band in 1994, it is
included here because a fan
gave Camilo a cassette of the
piece by the jam band String
Cheese Incident. “I thought,
if they can still play it,
I should, too,” he says,
and his new interpretation
is once again singular. The
rhythmic foundation is drawn
from the Brazilian baion and
the pambiche from Camilo’s
homeland.
In discussing those who have influenced his solo playing, Camilo offers the
same mix of sources reflected in his choice of music. “Of course Bill
Evans – who can escape from that? – and Tatum in my right-hand
runs, but Gershwin also, because I’ve been playing so much of his music.
People don’t realize that Gershwin had a strong Latin influence. He used
to vacation in Cuba, which is where his `Cuban Overture’ came from. Jobim
is another influence, because I grew up listening to him. He was a minimalist
in a sense, and his great respect for the melody struck me. Maybe, subliminally,
[Cuban composer Ernesto] Lecuona is lingering, as well as two other Cubans,
Manuel Saumell and Ignacio Cervantes, who are even prior to Lecuona, like the
Scott Joplins of Cuba. I also have a Puerto Rican ancestor, Juan Morel Campos,
who was a famous composer of danzas, and he is present in `A Dream.’”
Camilo also
emphasizes that he paid great
attention to the overall arrangements
in this program and did not
simply focus on reharmonization.
He was determined to employ
structure along with the freedom
that solo performance presents,
and to avoid repetition in
moods. “Keeping an audience’s
attention during a solo concert
takes a lot of planning, and
a lot of strength,” he
summarizes. “People are
listening more carefully once
their attention is triggered,
and I started the album quietly
to attract the listener into
the music. Once they’re
with me, they’re in for
the whole ride.”
The strategy
is that much more effective
given our knowledge of the
resources at Camilo’s
command. Rather than letting
out all stops, he has gone
to the heart of the music,
and delivered one of the most
moving solo collections of
recent years.
Solo reviews»
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