The Celebrated Cuban-Canadian Composer and Piano-Master Hilario Durán brings the full scope of his artistry, the depth of knowledge of musical genres in the perfect storm of big artistry on Cry Me A River.
The nine works on this recording are born of Durán’s Afro-Caribbean cultural topography but are also informed by his gifts for bending tradition and infusing his arrangements with unfettered improvisation.
Available in various formats, including CD, streaming, and digital platforms like DOLBY ATMOS + Hi Res Digital, the album highlights a fusion of genres as seen in “Claudia,” featuring D’Rivera’s alto sax, and the jazz-meets-classical allure of “Fantasia Impromptu,” adorned by D’Rivera’s clarinet.
Durán integrates a myriad of genres into his singular style on the album – traversing innovations that have made his music uniquely breathtaking. He points to “Claudia,” a song he arranged while he was touring as musical director with Valdés, and features Paquito D’Rivera on alto saxophone, as Dizzy Gillespie’s “Night in Tunisia.”
“Fantasia Impromptu” is a kind of jazz-meets classical, via Brazil and Cuba, featuring D’Rivera on clarinet. “It is our way of honoring the classics – in this case, Chopin,” Durán says.
Of the title song, “Cry Me A River” Durán says: “Elizabeth Rodríguez is just fantastic on violin. In her solo she plays deep in the Cuban tradition and follows that with an incredible improvisation!” he says.
“’Pacá por Juanito’ is a tribute to Juanito Márquez,” Durán explains, “He is one of the greatest musicians of Cuba, guitarist, composer and orchestrator for various large orchestras in the ’50s.
I learned how to arrange for big band by studying his scores for some of those orchestras.” Another original is “Mambo y Tumbao.” “Here, I highlight both traditional forms (mambo) and the revolutionary innovators of Cuban music – the great Bebo Valdés, who invented the ‘batanga’ rhythm, and the influential bandleader Pérez Prado. And of course, ‘I Remember Mingus‘ is a tribute to Charles Mingus, the great composer, bassist, and bandleader.
One name missing from the performance credits is Yailin Durán, the bandleader’s daughter. “She taught me all about hand-movements… everything I know about conducting,” Durán explains. “I owe the deepest gratitude to her for all my big band music… for Cry Me A River.”