The Venezuela-born pianist and his nonet ebb and flow throughout his latest album, the independently-released The River.
Born in Caracas, Venezuela, 60-year-old pianist Silvano Monasterios has long blended the influence of his homeland with that of pianistic jazz forefathers like Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, McCoy Tyner, and Herbie Hancock. After studying and starting a professional career during his teens in Venezuela, Monasterios moved to South Florida, earning degrees from the University of Miami and accolades while playing with iconic area wind players like trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, multi-wind instrumentalist Ira Sullivan, and flutist Nestor Torres.
Torres is part of the New York City-based Monasterios’ nonet on The River, along with tenor saxophonist Troy Roberts, trumpeter/flugelhornist Alex Norris, clarinetist Jeff Lederer, vibraphonist Juan Diego Villalobos, bassist Ricky Rodriguez, drummer Jimmy MacBride, and percussionist Luisito Quintero.
“It’s one of the most difficult and challenging works that I have done,” Torres says of The River. “At the same time, it is exhilarating. And what I really love about it is that it’s very deep and rich and complex, and yet is accessible.”
“Dance On the Wire” exemplifies Torres’ claim. Monasterios functions as part melodic instrumentalist while intertwining with the harmonized lines of the reeds and brass; part of the percolating rhythm section’s undercurrent, both before and after taking a compelling solo two minutes in.
Listen to “Dance On the Wire” by Silvano Monasterios via the player below. His latest self-released album, The River, is available now. Launch it here: http://open.spotify.com/album/6pmBaTPTvhLtwpOou77gLM
Photo by Chris Woodard
