Danilo Perez - Crisálida (2022) Hi Res

The Panamanian-born pianist, composer and activist Danilo Perez has been unique as a bandleader and essential as a sideman, having played with jazz icons such as saxophonist Wayne Shorter and drummers Roy Haynes and Jack DeJohnette. Following Children of the Light (2015) - a trio outing featuring regular associates, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade - Perez takes his eclectic approach into a completely new atmosphere on Crisálida, an opus with two suites of four movements each. Here, he takes advantage of a peculiar instrumentation offered by the Global Messengers, an international combo made up of alumni from the Berklee College of Music.

Defined as a holistic inter-disciplinary project, the album draws our attention to important topics such as immigration, climate change, and environmental justice. La Muralla (Glass Walls) Suite opens with “Rise From Love” whose flute-driven intro leads to a ternary magic carpet with strong Latin and Eastern tinges. The central melody is shared by Iraqi/Jordanian violinist Layth Sidiq and Greek laouto player Vasilis Kostas, being then transferred to the singer Farayi Malek. This song also features the Greece-based Kalesma Children’s Choir of The Ark of the World. The second movement, “Monopatia”, is a broad-minded, delicately woven folk piece that allows the music to breathe and flow naturally. It starts off with bright-toned laouto sounds over dramatic piano chords, segueing into a graceful piano moment that, with the help of layered percussion underneath, sustains the spoken word of Perez’s wife, Patricia Zárate.

The nature-related “Calling for the Dawn” is launched with an invigorating percussion demonstration, but Perez takes over with clever ostinati sliding on chromaticism, later complementing it with some low register excitement. This first suite concludes with the dynamic and uplifting “Muropatía”, which, inspired by a particular folklore dance from Panama, boasts fluid voice/laouto unisons, an infectious cello groove, propulsive drumming, and rapping in Spanish.

The Frontera (Borders) Suite, which is linked to the theme of immigration, has its second and fourth movements as highlights. “Al-Musifir Blues” exudes an exotic perfume and lamenting tones as it tells the story of a Palestinian man who gets stuck at the airport after trying to enter the US to study. Buoyed by mutable substrates and contrapuntal strokes, the piece ends splendidly after a 14-beat cycle vamp with piano on the front burner. The other piece is the arabesque closer, “Unknown Destination”, which flows with an additive {7+6} bass groove. With arrangements that speak straight to the senses, this is an album that lets Perez strut his cultivated abilities.