Danilo Perez - Providencia ***1/2

What strikes the most on first hearing is that some pieces on this cd are heavily influenced by European classical music. The opening notes on piano could be the start of a Bach piece. And in other pieces, most obviously in the two parts of Bridge of life (starring a woodwind quintet), Perez brings music that has plenty of classical references.
Indeed, Danilo Perez - who you probably know best as the piano player of the Wayne Shorter Quartet - had a classical training when he was very young. But Perez is from Panama. No wonder then, that you hear Latin American sounds on this cd. There's plenty of percussion, for instance. But Perez has an open mind, and his musical world spans more than jazzy, classical or Latin American flavours. The highligts on this cd are his dialogues with Indian American Rudresh Mahanthappa, whose altosaxophone has an astonishingly Indian sound. Galactic Panama is a fantastic track by two musicians with two completely different backgrounds who  provoke each other to bring out the best in themselves. The same is true of The Maze, a duet in two parts.
For those who only know Perez of his work with Wayne Shorter, this cd will be a a pleasant surprise.
Peter