Winter 2021-22

Preludes: Gonzalo Rubalcaba — The Cuban-born, South Florida-based piano virtuoso’s latest recording, Skyline, on his own 5Passion label, finds him leading a trio with Ron Carter and Jack DeJohnette. The album reunites Rubalcaba with DeJohnette, the pianist and drummer having recorded together early in Rubalcaba’s career in a classic trio session. Dominican Jazz Project — Pianist and composer Stephen Anderson leads a powerful ensemble of Dominican (and other nationalities) jazz artists on their second album, Desde Lejos (Summit), employing the sounds and rhythms of various regions in the Dominican Republic. Changüí: The Sound of Guantánamo (Petaluma) — A three-disc box set documents a rootsy style of acoustic party music indigenous to the Guantanamo region of Cuba. Features: Chucho Valdés — Profile of the Cuban jazz maestro, pianist and son of the great Bebo Valdes, who helped usher in a new age of Cuban music with his groundbreaking band Irakere in the 1970s. Valdes, who turns 80