Pianist / composer Michel Camilo was born in 1954 in the Dominican Republic into a very musical family. His nine uncles were all musicians. Blessed with their genes, he wrote his first composition at the age of five. He studied at the national conservatory for thirteen years and played in the national symphony orchestra at the age of sixteen. In 1979 he left for New York to broaden his musical
… horizons. His composition Why Not? was recorded by both saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera and The Manhattan Transfer. As a pianist he was mainly influenced by Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson and McCoy Tyner. Spirit Of The Moment can be seen as the follow-up to Live At The Blue Note (2003), where he last performed with a trio. Fascinated by the number three, Camilo has divided the CD into three chapters in which he takes ample time to make himself heard as a very virtuoso pianist, who deals just as well with carried ballads as with uptempo, rhythmic material. (AD)more
