Search - Various Artists :: Havana Flute Summit

When flutist and soprano saxophonist Jane Bunnett ventured to Cuba as a traveler and jazz musician, she was probably fairly uncertain that within a decade she'd become one of North American jazz's best Cuban players. Bunnett's Spirits of Havana captured a particular brilliance, pulling together her flute with a host of Cuban musicians for a floor-rattling musical experience. In many ways Havana Flute Summit is a direct consequence of the earlier session. Bunnett and Orlando Vallé were supposed to simply pair up for these tunes, but as the idea grew, so did the number of flute experts. So Richard Egues and Céline Vallé were added to the band, along with a trio of percussionists, pianist Hilario Duran, and bassist Oscar Rodriguez. The erstwhile nonet thus took a small band concept and grew it into a splendidly larger entity, deepening the flutes in all ensemble passages and adding a pair of other temperaments and approaches to the flutists' exchanges and individual solos. As a follow-up to Spirits of Havana this is an unqualified success, but it's also more. The band prospers in the wellspring of traditional Cuban approaches just as they innovate ever so stealthily. And Bunnett shows again why she's so heralded by critics and fans alike. --Andrew Bartlett