The album Motion creates different moods ranging from a soft and smooth piano, to hard driven drum solos; its Latin mood floats throughout the whole album. Motion feels more like this trio created a very strong setlist for a concert where all the pieces intertwine, but have their own original flavors. Hilario Duran is an amazing pianist and composer and his decades of work in the music industry shine through the album's eight tracks.
Motion is a fun, well-paced album. The first track, "It's Only Seven," introduces several elements that become the standard throughout the album. The song plays with tempos and will abruptly change pace while magically staying on the same course; this composition style resonates through all eight tracks. The Latin flair that Hilario Duran is known for shines even without his Latin Jazz big band last heard on his previous album, From the Heart, and the trio, occasionally accompanied by one or two guest musicians, fills the space well. The album closes with "Timba en Trampa," which has a similar feel and composition, but creates different colors.
While the album flirts with 7/4 beats and fast tempos, Motion never gets overly frantic. The title track starts off very fast and quickly makes tempo shifts, bringing visuals of driving down a busy city while passing by different forms of culture, but not being able to stop because everyone is already late. I love how the song easily shifts between fast and silky. The trio manage to play at a fast tempo in several of their songs, in fact, without running off the tracks.
A song like "Havana City" proves the talent of the trio, displaying the variety in their compositions. Here you are immediately flown into the city though the track's opening strings. The song is very smooth, with the accompanying vocals of Joaquin Hidalgo emphasizing the mood. While the song is more than 10-minutes long, it doesn't drag or get repetitive; the piano is original and creative throughout. "Danza Negra" stays mid-tempo for its duration, exploring a little bit of African undertones.
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