Paquito D’Rivera: Paquito & Manzanero

With a particular verve and expression for a grateful life, Paquito D’Rivera and his sextet return for another romp through Latin jazz, this time tackling the magnificent work of Armando Manzanero. Right out of the gate, the album’s opening track, “Amanecer”, lives up to its name by evoking an instantaneously listenable and altogether infectious sunny disposition that shines well upon the remaining tracks. Manzanero himself features as a vocalist on a few of the tracks, joining a long list of jazz singers in their golden years who still got it as he swings across “Parece Que Fue Ayer” with swagger, meanwhile taking on “Esta Tarde VI Llover” and “Por Debajo de la Mesa” with a remarkable level of pure emotion. Instrumentally, D’Rivera and his cohorts handle Manzanero’s composition with the ease and respect that one might respect out of a fourteen-time Grammy winner and his ensemble, all-in-all making for yet another fantastic piece for D’Rivera to place into his portfolio.