My Passion for the Piano

Arturo Sandoval

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 12, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000630YG
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #139,139 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Several non-keyboard jazz icons, including drummer Jack DeJohnette and bassist Charles Mingus, have released recordings as pianists. On this release, the Cuban-born, Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Arturo Sandoval joins that elite list. Backed by drums, percussion, bass, and tenor saxophonist Ed Calle, Sandoval unveils his suave and swinging pianisms, which spring from several influences. The rhapsodic romanticism of Keith Jarrett and Bill Evans is evident on Sandoval's "Marianela Says Goodbye," from his soundtrack to the HBO movie For Love or Country, and on Armando Manzanero's bolero, "Esta Tarde Villover." On the finger-busting "All the Things You Are," Sandoval sounds like his former Irakere bandmate, Chucho Valdes. Another standard, "Stella by Starlight," swings in a Cuban clave groove, while "D.A.S.S." moves with a bossa nova lilt. Sandoval's sensitive reading of Michel Legrand's "Windmills of Your Mind" is the most evocative track on this recording, which reveals another side of Arturo Sandoval's genius. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Impressive chops, January 31, 2003

By	Samuel Chell (Kenosha,, WI United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The evidence from this recording will show that Sandoval's technique on piano is commensurate with his trumpet virtuosity. Unlike numerous other instrumentalists who also play piano, Sandoval has a command not merely of harmony but of right-hand digital dexterity. In fact, his non-stop upper-register phrases and polyrhythmic torrents suggest that for Sandoval the piano in some respects compensates for things that are impossible to execute on a wind instrument.

The problem is that after a while the virtuosic display and driving rhythms take on a monotonous quality. The pianist "wears out" tunes like "All the Things" and "Stella" with his bombastic approach, and the decision to include an alternate version of the opening blues number is clearly ill-judged overkill. Moreover, a trained pianist will soon detect that, despite a formidable technique, Sandoval not only lacks a genuine "piano touch" but has a left-hand that is frequently clueless about complementary rhythmic patterns and chord voicings.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He is a master pianist, too!, May 3, 2002

By	Raymond Schultze "RGS" (Tarzana, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

We all recognize the incredible talent of Arturo Sandoval as a jazz trumpeter, but for some his ability as a jazz master at the piano will be a wonderful discovery. This CD has 12 tunes that allow Sandoval to demonstrate his understanding of the music to communicate that understanding to the listener. The rest of the quintette contributes greatly to what is an exceptional CD. I hope that Mr. Sandoval enjoyed making this CD enough to produce a second with the same cast.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This guy can hang with Chick or Herbie..., December 31, 2004

By	Stephen Cabral (New England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What a great pianist...I can't believe he's a trumpeter. This guy can hang with Chick or Herbie. This is the only album he ever played piano on. He is backed by a bassist, drummer, percussionist and saxophonist. The 12 tracks fluctuate between standards, bebop and bossa nova and he knows how to write a hook. I did a little research on Sandoval and he began as a classical trumpeter who defected from Cuba at the American Embassy in Rome in 1990. It's good for jazz that he did.