Not a CD. Digital Download now included. Paquito produced & oversaw this CD & book himself using his own band - learn to play this diverse array of styles w. rhythm section inc. Daniel Freiberg, Oscar Stagnaro, Mark Walker & Parnell Saturnino. ISBN: 978-1-56224-235-0.

The magical world of the great Cuban-American woodwind master Paquito D'Rivera continues to expand. Over his seven decades in music, D'Rivera has become engaged with musicians hailing from locations all throughout the world. His most recent release, La Fleur de Cayenne, highlights his work with an ensemble of Cuban expatriates and a Colombian vibraphonist who call Madrid, Spain home with a group they call the Madrid-New York Connection Band. D'Rivera has called the United States home since the early 1980s, his arrival creating a spark in New York City's jazz and Latin music communities. His interest in the music and collaborations with musicians from different origins have made D'Rivera a magnetic personality, continually attracting individuals interested in incorporating his brilliant sounds on clarinet and saxophone into their music. In the late 1990s, D'Rivera was enjoying a quiet evening at his New Jersey home when a car pulled up nearby. A handful of young musicians called out to him, explaining that they were Cuban musicians living in Spain who wanted to see where D'Rivera lived. That was how D'Rivera met Pepe Rivero, a pianist and composer originally from Manzanillo, thus beginning a long and fruitful musical relationship. Rivero introduced D'Rivera to other Cubans living in Spain, including drummer Georvis Pico, percussionist Yuvisney Aguilar, and bassist Reinier "El Negron" Elizarde. While in Spain, D'Rivera would regularly reunite with these fantastic musicians along with the Colombian vibraphonist Sebastian Laverde. After nearly two decades of inspired collaborations, D'Rivera and the Spanish contingent have come together to form the Madrid-New York Connection Band and record their first album together, La Fleur de Cayenne. The recording was done in Madrid in December 2024 and features original songs by D'Rivera and Rivero along with a wide-ranging program of music with Latin roots, from Cuban son to Argentinean folk song and tango. The program begins with D'Rivera's "La Fleur de Cayenne," a deftly challenging Venezuelan joropo, that allows D'Rivera's clarinet to dance with Laverde's vibes and churning percussion. The fantastic Spanish harmonica player Antonio Serrano is featured on Bebo Valdes' "Miriam," the piece unfurling with Rivero's romantic piano and D'Rivera's warm alto sound over a lush harmonic bed. Rivero's "Paq-Man in La Pampa" leans into an Argentinian chacarera as the band swings and sways to D'Rivera's clarinet.

PORTRAITS OF CUBA reflects the musical odyssey of Paquito D'Rivera, a unique blend of Cuban and Jazz music that re-affirms both the artist's Cuban roots and his love for the American art form. Far beyond the realm of popular music, it is a jazz musicians's tribute to the enduring legacy of Cuba, beautifully orchestrated by arranger and conductor Carlos Franzetti and impeccably performed by Mr. D'Rivera and eighteen seasoned musicians, each with a proven track record of excellence. PORTRAITS OF CUBA was recorded live without overdubbing at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in New York City over a two day period in February of 1996, using a single, high resolution microphone set-up, capturing the beautiful and natural reverberation of the old church. As Producer David Chesky explained in 2025: "At Chesky, the goal for me was to make the best-sounding recordings we could. It was about pursuing the perfect sound." The selections encompass almost ten decades of Cuban music and are set to be reissued on SACD Hybrid Stereo and 180g One Step Pressing Vinyl LP.

PORTRAITS OF CUBA reflects the musical odyssey of Paquito D'Rivera, a unique blend of Cuban and Jazz music that re-affirms both the artist's Cuban roots and his love for the American art form. Far beyond the realm of popular music, it is a jazz musicians's tribute to the enduring legacy of Cuba, beautifully orchestrated by arranger and conductor Carlos Franzetti and impeccably performed by Mr. D'Rivera and eighteen seasoned musicians, each with a proven track record of excellence. PORTRAITS OF CUBA was recorded live without overdubbing at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in New York City over a two day period in February of 1996, using a single, high resolution microphone set-up, capturing the beautiful and natural reverberation of the old church. As Producer David Chesky explained in 2025: "At Chesky, the goal for me was to make the best-sounding recordings we could. It was about pursuing the perfect sound." The selections encompass almost ten decades of Cuban music and are set to be reissued on SACD Hybrid Stereo and 180g One Step Pressing Vinyl LP.

Paquito D'Rivera's - NEA Jazz Master, multiple Gramm winner, Downbeat Hall of Fame Inductee - gained worldwide attention as member of the Grammy Award winning Cuban group Irakere, a revolutionary ensemble co-founded with Chucho Valdes in the early 1970s. Blending Afro-Cuban rhythms and jazz, the band was a seminal force and marked a new era in Cuban music. His defection to the United States in 1980 was a turning point, as he became an ambassador of Latin jazz around the world, fusing cultures and genres effortlessly. A decade into his new status, D'Rivera entered a New York studio to record an homage to Bebop. He enlisted Grammy award winner and Dizzy Gillespie alum James Moody, distinguished straight ahead jazzers Mark Morganelli, Harvey Swartz and Al Foster, and major Latin-jazz players of the day Claudio Roditi, Danilo Perez, and Pedrito Lopez. While his intentions may have been to make an album like "Monk, Bird, and Dizzy" as he states in the liner notes, the results here are undeniably in D'Rivera's signature style. The album features a mix of original compositions from featured players, alongside the ensembles take on Coltrane's "Giant Steps", and Monks "I Mean You," all delivered with D'Rivera's unique perspective and deep understanding of traditional jazz and Latin music traditions. Originally released in 1992, the album has been remastered and is being released on vinyl for the first time ever as a double disc LP set. Remastered by Alex McOllough at True East Mastering. Vinyl cut by Jeff Powell at Take Out Vinyl.

A decade into his new status, D'Rivera entered a New York studio to record an homage to Bebop. He enlisted Grammy award winner and Dizzy Gillespie alum James Moody, distinguished straight ahead jazzers Mark Morganelli, Harvey Swartz and Al Foster, and major Latin-jazz players of the day Claudio Roditi, Danilo Perez, and Pedrito Lopez. While his intentions may have been to make an album like "Monk, Bird, and Dizzy" as he states in the liner notes, the results here are undeniably in D'Rivera's signature style. - The album features a mix of original compositions from featured players, alongside the ensembles take on Coltrane's "Giant Steps", and Monks "I Mean You," all delivered with D'Rivera's unique perspective and deep understanding of traditional jazz and Latin music traditions.

This recording features original compositions from practically all the band members and highlights the diversity of styles in composition as well as performance. You will surely enjoy a journey, from a funky tango, as the title suggests, to Peruvian rhythms on "Mariela's Dream" to the elegant Cuban "Contradanza", by the way of bolero, to the waltz, samba, milonga, to the final return of the jazz standard "Giant Steps".

In 1962, two of the most influential and talented instrumentalists that Cuba ever produced were brought together. Saxophonist/clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera was invited to hear pianist Chucho Valdes at a local club in his Marianao neighborhood of South Havana. The two soon became a musical partnership that helped shape jazz in Cuba. Their paths would separate in 1980 when D'Rivera left Cuba. // Sixty years after their initial meeting, the pair has finally reunited to create a monumental new recording. Their I Missed You Too! Marks D'Rivera and Valdes's first recording since they were both members of Cuba's most influential jazz/fusion ensemble, Irakere.