Artist Profile — Michel Camilo's New Rhapsody Release
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"Classy and nostalgic as ever, Michel's 'Rhapsody' has a new flavor, thanks to the master pianist's signature style — equal parts fiery, creative abandon and meticulous, technical precision."
— Keyboard
"Camilo is a strong enough pianist to perform the work with all of the technical skills required. But his sense as a jazz pianist gives the work the accent it needs. He also gets great support from the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra on that piece and Gershwin's Concerto in F. Those musicians seem to understand the jazz flavor of the works well, too. The best part of the album, however, might be the improvised middle section Camilo gives the solo Prelude No. 2. That helps him rival some of the best performances of the work." ***1/2
— Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"Sit back, prepare to relax and be absorbed by, and revel in, fifty-six minutes and twelve seconds of pure rhapsody."
— Yonkers Tribune
"Dominican powerhouse pianist Michel Camilo and Spain's Barcelona Symphony Orchestra have created a reading of Gershwin that is bold, tender, powerful and sentimental all at once ---- in other words, unmistakably American! Camilo's grounding in the jazz idiom is what makes this work so well. His piano playing shades the theme, rediscovers it with a freshness and vitality that remind us why this piece has been recorded and performed so many times since Gershwin wrote it in 1924."
— North County Times (San Diego)
"For his latest Telarc recording, Camilo pays homage to the renowned composer with Rhapsody in Blue, a grand jazz-meets-classical album of Gershwin music performed with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Ernest Martinez Izquierdo?While Camilo plays 'the ink' of Gershwin's scores, he embellishes the works with grooves and accents."
— Billboard
"The prospect of Michel Camilo playing Gershwin's concert music will probably come as a bolt from the blue to the jazz crowd?"
— All Music Guide
"Ernest Izquierdo and the Barcelona Symphony perfectly intertwine with Camilo to produce an interpretation that finally reflects the true rhythmic groove of Gershwin's mind?This is a release that breathes fire into pieces too familiar to disregard."
— All About Jazz - LA
"Do we really need another tribute to George Gershwin? The answer to that question, as provided by artful jazz pianist Michel Camilo and the 95-piece Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, is a resounding 'YES.' Hot on the heels of 2003's Grammy-winning Live at the Blue Note and 2004's graceful Solo, Camilo again shows why he's considered among jazz music's elite musicians with this tender love letter to one of the great composers of the 20th century."
— Inside Bay Area
"Rhapsody in Blue is both a fresh and respectful look into the lesser-known classical side Gershwin, and this album deserves full audience appreciation."
— Greenwich Village Gazette (NY)
"Michel Camilo is a master of the jazz piano. It is much in evidence with this recording. This is a CD to treasure and play often. Highly recommended and highly enjoyable listening."
— JazzReview.com
"There is no more formidable technique in jazz. Camilo began as a classical pianist in his native Dominican Republic, playing with their National Symphony at the age of 16, and later trained at Julliard. Fortunately he also has a deep artistic sensitivity - he doesn't have to go blazing around the keyboard for effect - and he can swing, something he's proved in each of his major label releases since the first one, in 1988. This rare combination, together with this fine orchestra, makes his Gershwin program a clear, innovative, and thoroughly enjoyable success."
— AllAboutJazz.com
"Michel Camilo does justice to Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue...I definitely want more"
— TheCelebrityCafe.com
"Michel Camilo exerts his symphonic muscles on this highly dramatic offering with flair, aplomb and beauty."
— SoundsOfTimelessJazz.com
"Camilo beats the house again showing off the classical side most of us didn't even know he had, but he certainly has spent as much time honing as his estimable jazz side. Smart recordings like this keep chestnuts fresh and also don't make it seem like the well has been visited once to often as well."
— Midwest Record Recap
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For more information on Michel Camilo, please visit his website www.michelcamilo.com.