For his landmark 25th album as a leader, iconic pianist,
composer and bandleader Michel Camilo wanted to do something truly special.
That’s saying something, given that every release by the GRAMMY®, Latin
GRAMMY®, and Emmy-winning Camilo is an event. But the Dominican-born pianist
set out to celebrate in a big way: namely, by reconvening his all-star big band
for the first time in a quarter-century to explore the full scope and breadth
of his remarkable career.
Essence, due out June 7 via Resilience Music Alliance,
offers exactly that: the essence of Camilo’s artistry spanning the last 40
years. The music, arranged in collaboration with trumpeter and longtime
collaborator Michael Philip Mossman, is drawn from key points along Camilo’s
storied trajectory. Most of the material has only been heard in trio settings
in the past, while much of it hasn’t been revisited in the studio since the
original recordings. All of it, however, vividly reflects the composer’s
diverse influences, bringing together the various strands of his passion for
jazz improvisation, Latin roots, and classical training.
“I tried to choose music from every stage of development as
a creative artist and as a composer,” Camilo says. “I picked songs that
represent shifts in my career and my point of view, that showcase how I
developed my sound. I’ve always thought of the trio as a mini-orchestra, so the
big band is a way to celebrate my career and my journey with a group of friends
creating together in the studio.”
The cover of the album references an even more basic
essence, the four elements that contribute to all life on the planet – each of
which is represented vibrantly in the pianist’s singular sound. “My music has
the fire, of course,” Camilo explains. “The air is the space between the lines
and the way we breathe together. The water comes in the flow of ideas while the
earth is in the grooves, the organic way they bring you down to earth.”
While Camilo has performed his music as a featured soloist
with some of the world’s most acclaimed ensembles – Danish Radio Big Band, WDR
Big Band, Luxembourg Jazz Orchestra, Vienna VolksOper Big Band, Bulgarian Brass
Association, countless symphony orchestras – Essence is only the third occasion
on which he’s recorded with his own big band. The first was the acclaimed 1994
album One More Once, followed in 2009 by Caribe – a live recording of the same
material from the pianist’s 1994 return to his native Dominican Republic.
The ensemble Camilo has assembled for Essence fits the
occasion; the 18-piece band comprises a stellar group of old friends, recent
collaborators, and new acquaintances culled from the foremost plays in modern
jazz. The band features a woodwind section with Antonio Hart, Sharel Cassity,
Ralph Bowen, Adam Kolker and Frank Basile; in addition to Mossman the trumpets
include Raul Agras, John Walsh, Diego Urcola and Kali Rodriguez-Peña; while the
trombone line boasts Michael Dease, Steve Davis, Jason Jackson and David
Taylor.
The core of the band, as always, consists of Camilo’s
remarkable rhythm section. In-demand drummer Cliff Almond has worked with the
pianist for nearly 30 years, appearing on many of his most beloved releases.
Ricky Rodriguez is a young lion originally from Puerto Rico who has become
Camilo’s bassist of choice in recent years, alongside his work with Joe Locke,
Arturo O’Farrill and Dafnis Prieto, among others. The newest addition is Eliel
Lazo, a Cuban percussionist and vocalist currently based in Copenhagen.
Photo Credit: Frankie Celenza
The album opens with the combustible grooves of “And Sammy
Walked In” from Camilo’s 1989 album On Fire. The tune got its name from its
original guest percussionist, the great Sammy Figueroa, who happened to wander
into the studio during the session and ended up providing the song’s crucial
element with his virtuoso conga playing. Lazo proves a worthy successor with
his own solo, in conversation with Almond’s raucous work on the kit. The
barn-burning title track is also revisited, with an audacious alto solo
courtesy Sharel Cassity.
Figueroa is one of three master percussionists to whom
Camilo pays homage on Essence. The second is the iconic Mongo Santamaría, the
honoree of “Mongo’s Blues.” Santamaría took Camilo under his wing shortly after
the young pianist moved to New York in 1979 and appears on Camilo’s self-titled
American debut from 1988. Lazo provides a stirring introductory piece on
percussion and vocals, both a lament and offering, that leads into the song, an
intricate weave of blues, swing, and Afro-Cuban rhythms worth of its namesake.
Almond’s dexterous rhythms lead into the third tribute,
“Repercussions,” a nod to the late, great Art Blakey. Camilo crossed paths with
the head Messenger during his days as a regular at the now-defunct Upper West
Side club Mikell’s in the ‘80s. “Art used to play there whenever he was in
town,” Camilo recalls, “and I even sat in with him one night. He pulled me out
of the crowd. It was one of the highlights of my life.”
The impressionistic “Liquid Crystal” shows another side of
Camilo’s compositional voice and shines a spotlight on the ensemble’s youngest
members, Cuban-born trumpeter Kali Rodriguez-Peña. “I wanted a Miles Davis
vibe, full of long lines and atmosphere,” Camilo says. “With a name like
‘Liquid Crystal’ you expect something that flows. Kali killed it.”
The roiling “Mano a Mano” is the titled tune from Camilo’s
2011 trio album, and here provokes fiery, athletic turns from Bowen, Dease and
Mossman. The same album also provides the blistering “Yes,” highlighted by
Urcola’s lyrically burning trumpet. The evocative ballad “Just Like You” was
originally penned for a film soundtrack, meant to evoke a sultry, mysterious
film noir mood, and was reprised in trio form on 2002’s Triangulo (also the
source of the smoldering “Piece of Cake”). Here it provides the perfect setting
for a supple outing by Antonio Hart, a regular member of Camilo’s bands.
The album’s closing track is also its earliest; “Hello &
Goodbye” reaches all the way back to Camilo’s 1985 debut, Why Not?, originally
released only in Japan and not recorded again since. “I wanted to revisit some
of the songs that I haven’t rerecorded over the years, take a fresh look and
explore all the new ideas that we’ve discovered in them over the years,” Camilo
says.
That never-ending sense of discovery lies at the essence of
Camilo’s brilliant sound, which has thrilled audiences throughout four decades
and, with the release of the stellar Essence, 25 albums. “Time flies when
you’re having fun,” Camilo concludes.
