Michel Camillo – Live At the Blue Note

Pianist-composer Michel Camilo’s alternately lively (“Cocowalk,” “Blue Bossa”) and elegantly moody (“Two Of a Kind,” “Twilight Glow”) 2-CD set Live at the Blue Note – from my homeys at Cleveland-based Telarc International – deservedly won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album. Congrats!

After recording for nearly two decades, Live at the Blue Note is Camilo’s first live album and his first recording with a Cuban rhythm
section in addition to his trio partners bassist Charles Flores and drummer Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez. (For audiophiles, Live at the Blue Note was also released as an SACD in 5.1 Surround Sound.)

“Winning this Grammy is like a dream come true,” said Camilo. “Even though it’s been a long road, I feel that all of our hard work has paid off. This double album really captures my sound and the voice of my trio.”

The beauty of the packaging meets that of the music – for Latin jazz or piano trio fans this is a must.