John Patitucci

Like another Cuban product Aruán Ortiz , Manuel Valera is a gifted piano player who is able to reconcile the rhythmically based Afro-Cuban jazz of his homeland with the harmonically complex modern jazz of New York. Valera is likewise an experienced composer and bandleader, with five albums under his belt since 2004. Read More

An hour before pianist Danilo Pérez went onstage with the Wayne Shorter Quartet on April 28 at Jazz at Lincoln Centers Rose Theater, he was asked what the group would be playing. Read More

"Chad Wackerman has a beautiful ear for harmonies and melodies that lets your inner musician soar, and with 'Dreams, Nightmares and Improvisations' it comes together and expresses his potential as an artist. All the musicians who play on this record are the inspired elite and on this CD they create a magnificent and ethereal listening experience."Read More

Nobody said it was going to be easy, and nobody was right, declared Dizzys Club Coca-Cola Programming Director Todd Barkan, quoting the witty insight of the late pianist John Hicks into the life of a jazz musician. Read More

Full reviews of recent jazz performances: nytimes.com/jazz. Read More