If you’re a fan of duets, you’re going to be in hog heaven on this release. Each of the fourteen pieces here has the trumpet or flugelhorn of Diego Urcola matched with either Avishai Cohen/b, Dave Samuels/vib-mar, Edmar Castaneda/harp or Juan Dargenton/band for a melding of latin folk and jazz. Urcola displays his versatility of sounds and moods as he gets bold and brassy with Cohen on “Elegua” yet can go cool and muted on the Harmon with Dargenton on “Elm.” Even jazz standards are taken to the villages of South America, as “You Don’t Know What Love Is” creates agonizing sounds with trumpet and bandeon, while Samuels’ coy marimbas created a lovely pulse on “Samba pa’ dos.” Fragile to the point of cracking is Urcola’s horn along with vibes on “A Fala da Paixao” while lusty passions mix with Casteneda’s harp on “Colibri.” The combination of space and sounds are akin to watching a pair of dancers take over the dance floor, with moods changing with every turn. Enjoy!
Sunnyside Records