It might strike as a paradox, but sometimes the brilliance of certain inventions can be measured by
how obvious, how commonplace they seem. The music of Venezuelan pianist Silvano Monasterios is so
easy-on-the-ear, so elegantly structured, and has such a casual, lived-in feel that it takes a bit to catch
on to how sophisticated his work truly is. It’s only after awhile that one notices the harmonic turns,
the storytelling soloing, or his rhythmic vocabulary, especially his discreet use of traditional Venezuelan
styles. Partly Sunny is Monasterios’ second album for Savant, and his choices suggest that he feels
no need to accommodate any conventional expectations about how Latin jazz should sound. Whatever
someone might argue to be some essence of “Latin,” is here integrated into the overall sound. With his
working trio augemented with the great clarinetist Anat Cohen, saxman Troy Roberts and the colorful
percussion of Robert Quintero, Monasterios has given us an album that is exuberant & visceral as well as
personal & considered.
Silvano Monasterios – piano & keyboards // Anat Cohen – clarinet (tracks 4 & 5)
Troy Roberts – saxophones (tracks 1, 2, 6, 7 & 9) // Jonathan Dadurka – bass
Rodolfo Zúñiga – drums // Roberto Quintero – percussion
