Musicians:

Bill O’Connell - piano

Richie Flores - congas

Paquito D’Rivera - clarinet on #1, 4

Dave Samuels - vibraphone on #2, 5, 7, 10

Dave Valentin - flute on #3, 9; alto flute on #6

“A lot happens at the moment,” the leader adds, “and that’s the beauty of just having three people. Because there’s no bass player, sometimes I’m playing the tumbao (the basic rhythm played on the conga and the bass in Afro-Caribbean music) with my left hand and sometimes I just leave it alone. This really allows me to direct the harmony or re-harmonize any way I want without having clashes with a bassist. I feel that this format has opened up a different way for me to play.”

O’Connell first experimented with this unconventional set-up on the 2008 release simply called Triple Play, featuring Flores and flutist Dave Valentín. This time, with clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera and vibraphonist Dave Samuels also onboard, the pianist has substantially broadened the concept’s stylistic spectrum. And, with its satisfying blend of rhythmically-distinct and thematically-diverse performances, his latest offering personifies the goal of ZOHO to present “Latin and Jazz with a New York vibe.”

The presence of D‘Rivera on two tracks resulted from O’Connell’s wish to reconnect in the studio with the legendary Cuban woodwind artist and do something new. “I’ve known him for about three decades and played in his band a few times many years ago,” the pianist explains. “I absolutely love Paquito’s clarinet playing, and he is deeply rooted in the traditional bebop style. I’ve also played in Dave Samuels’ group, The Caribbean Jazz Project, and what he brings to the session is a bit more of a post-bop, modern jazz approach. As for Dave Valentín, he’s truly beyond easy description; he’s just a phenomenal Latin flutist with a serious jazz sensibility.”

O’Connell’s long and colorful career is notable for his extensive accomplishments in both Latin music and modern jazz. Indeed, there are few non-Latinos who have contributed as much to the Latin jazz idiom in the past four decades as has the lanky Long Island native. In the mid 1970s, he served as keyboardist in the great Mongo Santamaria’s funky Latin jazz unit. In the early 1980s, he began a long association with Valentín as the popular flutist’s music director and pianist. Over the years, he’s worked with a wide range of artists, from trumpeter Chet Baker and saxophonist Sonny Rollins to the fabled Fort Apache Band, Argentine saxophonist Leandro “Gato” Barbieri’s group, and trombonist Conrad Herwig’s “Latin Side” ensemble. A solo recording artist since the early 1990s, O’Connell has also proven to be an uncommonly prolific composer and an increasingly versatile arranger, adding string scoring to his résumé while ever expanding the range of his pianistic skills.

The program opens with a surprising twist. O’Connell’s Sweet Sophie Rose, named after his 18 year-old daughter, features D’Rivera in a high-spirited duel with the pianist, as Flores’ congas provide an explosive percussive backdrop.