# CD review: Hilario Duran & David Virelles – Front Street Duets 2022: Video, CD cover

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2022/12/04/cd-review-hilario-duran-david-virelles-front-street-duets-2022-video-cd-cover/
- Published: 2022-12-04T00:04:48+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**Front Street Duets is a compelling collaboration of two internationally acclaimed
Cuban jazz pianists and composers, Hilario Duran and David Virelles. This collection
of piano duets features the virtuosic playing of two musicians in peak form. Duran
and Virelles have a musical and personal relationship dating back over two decades,
but this is their most extensive project to date.**

The Toronto-based Duran is a towering figure in Cuban music. Over a career now spanning
over 45 years, he has won three Juno Awards and earned a Grammy nomination (for 
2006’s From the Heart, by Hilario Durán and his Latin Big Band). His extensive discography
includes work as a solo artist, and in duo, small group and big band settings, and
he has also achieved distinction in the classical and chamber music worlds.

Now based in New York City after a stint in Toronto, Virelles records as a solo 
artist for such labels as ECM and Pi Recordings. He has collaborated extensively
with such noted musicians as Andrew Cyrille, Bill Frisell, Henry Threadgill, Steve
Coleman, and Ravi Coltrane, and last year he won the prestigious Herb Alpert Awards
in the Arts.

When ALMA head and album producer Peter Cardinali presented the concept to Duran
and Virelles a couple of years ago, both instantly agreed. “This album is very special
because I had the privilege to work with David,” Duran explains. “He is the most
important Cuban piano player of this new generation, and now he has so much success
in the New York City scene, playing with great jazz stars and doing his own projects.”

The album _Front Street Duets_ played by the great Hilario Durán and his one-time
acolyte, David Virelles is a sublime recording. It is one that only Mr Durán could
have conceived of. Why? It is not impossible to perceive that, more and more [certainly
after the earth-shatteringly divisive pandemic] Mr Durán has turned himself inward,
into a secret – and sacred – space, into which artists often withdraw. Equally, 
it is not so shocking to find that when he opened the proverbial door into that 
space, he would admit a musician of the fulsome abilities – literally 360° all-round
kind of musicianship – that characterises a former acolyte, Mr Virelles – formerly
speaking only because Mr Virelles has grown his own pair of sinewy eagle wings to
become a high-flier in his own right – holding court with the likes of Steve Coleman,
Henry Threadgill, Andrew Cyrille, Ravi Coltrane…

A piano duet recording of this high calibre is not without precedence. One has only
to think of the two legendary [!] recordings – both duets performed by Chick Corea
and Herbie Hancock. What characterised those recordings were the long, sculpted 
inventions of both pianists that had audiences held in suspended animation somewhere
between gasping for breath and experiencing what cardiologists would surely diagnose
as cardiac arrhythmia [one at Montreux comes easily to mind]. I should know as I
am held exactly so every time I listen to those recordings.

But the virtuosity of these two pianists is of a very different kind. There is no
bending of phrases; elongating the choicest one that formed the melodic heart of
each piece – and it was always announced as if by a flesh-biting arrow that pierced
the senses and propelled the music of Mr Corea and Mr Hancock. Mr Durán’s virtuosity
comes from an imaginary interior landscape [of his mind], somewhere between Baroque
and Bebop. Thus he usually cannot be restrained from decorative imagery that adorns
his narratives [“Santos Suarez’s Memories” is a fine example of this]. But no matter
how he adorns he never loses the “heart” of the melody, its emotional epicentre 
and harmonics and rhythms that propels the music after that climax is reached.

Mr Virelles is one of the greatest young apostles of Afro-Cuban musical tradition,
but he has always known that the inner dynamic of tradition is always to innovate,
rather than be imprisoned by its structures. And so by actively pursuing this thesis
he has managed to throw overboard melodic, structural, harmonic, and [because this
is Afro-Cuban music we are talking about] rhythmic hooks that expressively blunted
the music through overuse. And so Mr Virelles’ special kind of virtuosity will manifest
itself as he builds from what might – or might not – be left of melody, harmony 
and rhythm inside Afro-Cuban music.

The unique virtuosity informs his arrangements [pursued by both pianists] but especially
in Mr Virelles’ playing on Alejandro García Caturla’s composition “Danza Lucumí”
and Calixto Varona’s “La Malanga”. Both songs unveil not only the differences in
the voices of both Mr Virelles, but also in the magic manner in which Mr Durán presents
his interpretation of the works. And this speaks to the kind of magic that separates
this piano duet recording from every other one you may have heard – including those
legendary ones by Mr Corea and Mr Hancock.

As an important sidenote: It should not go unnoticed that everytime Mr Durán has
decided to put his music down on tape, Peter Cardinali [the Alma Records supremo]
and John “Beetle” Bailey have always been there to capture it in all its sublime
glory. The fact that this time it includes Mr Virelles too, suggests that nothing
like this is likely to happen in a long time to come.

What I like most about this album is the coordination that David and  I have playing.
We show our passion for playing the same music for both of us. David is  one  of
the  most brilliant Cuban pianists of the young generation with a rising career 
in New York City. During his stay in Toronto for a few years, we had the opportunity
to share stages and work together on different projects, such as the tribute to 
Gleen Gould we did  in  a concert for two pianos with the Penderecki string quartet.
We performed original works by David and myself and music by J. Sebastian Bach. 
Front Street Duet is a project that we started working on at the beginning of the
COVID-19 pandemic; in 2020, Peter Cardinali, ALMA Records head and album producer,
presented the concept to me; without a doubt, I chose David Virelles, and he instantly
agreed. All listeners can notice our great connection since we hit the first note
in this recording. After the album’s record release at one of the best theatres 
in Toronto, we plan to tour worldwide. Regarding my work, right now, I am touring
with Chucho Valdes in Europe, working as a director and keyboardist, directing the
arrangement I did for the big band Afro-Cuban percussion and vocals composition 
by Chucho. Also, I continue  working  with  my different musical formats, presenting
my music. I selected David to record this album because I consider David as one 
of his generation’s most important Cuban pianists, a big star shining globally. 
We received the same influences from classical and Jazz music at different times.
We have a musical and personal relationship dating back over two decades. Right 
now, David has so much success in the New York City scene, playing with great jazz
stars and leading his projects. Most piano duets by jazz players come from improvisation,
where they make it up at the moment. We have that in this album, but also  we  composed
and arranged music based on the same background and knowledge of the Cuban music
we share. Some of the songs reflect some of the most important styles of  Cuban 
music.  For example, ‘Guajira for Two Pianos’ represents the style of Guajira Cuban
music, while Danza Lucumi reflects the Cuban dance style from the 19th century. ‘
The Malanga’ represents the ballroom dance of the 19th century, but the improvisation
part is in a Son Montuno style. ‘Body and Soul’ is a ballad arranged in the style
of Cuban Jazz… We are dedicating this album to all Cuban pianists worldwide and 
within Cuba,- an interview with me said **Hilario Duran.**

01. Guajira for Two Pianos (05:28)
 02. Challenge (03:47) 03. Punto Cubano #1 (04:
47) 04. Danza Lucumi (05:17) 05. La Malanga (03:40) 06. Milonga Por Cuba (Dedicated
to 7/11) (04:41) 07. Santos Suarez’s Memories (05:17) 08. David’s Tumbao (04:13)
09. Body and Soul (04:41)

**Hilario Durán and David Virelles: pianos**

[**New CD – 2022 – Buy from here**](https://shopalmarecords.com/products/front-street-duets)

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