Today, Delmark Records announces the release of “Paquito Libre” is eminent. This is a track recorded by Paquito D’Rivera and myself earlier this year. I consider him a good friend and inspiration to many of us students of the music. He is a musician I grew up admiring and studying, so being on this recording with him is surreal and I’m grateful for the opportunity.
The first time he asked me to play was to play with his trio in New York City. I forgot where I parked my car the morning of our first rehearsal, so I ended up getting a good 30 minute cardio work out, walking up and down the hills of Manhattan. The good thing is I wasn’t late and I was musically prepared. Later, he asked me to play with his Pan-American Orchestra for a Latin jazz ballet production and this year we did a concert fundraiser for musicians in Puerto Rico recovering from the hurricane. That concert was star studded and special, it was with the Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Bigband, featuring Randy Brecker, Jon Faddis, Paquito, Candido Camero and Eddie Montalvo. It was an epic night, one I’ll never forget. It felt like the Dizzy United Nations orchestra, which a lot of them are alumnus of.
Alright back to the recording. This track will be interesting because it’s the first time Paquito and myself record in a free jazz setting. The project was organized by Elbio Barilari and Julia Miller for their upcoming release, “Volcano Radar”. I’m looking forward to sharing this new music with you soon.
