Paquito D'Rivera & Madrid-New York Connection Band - La Fleur de Cayenne (2025) [Hi-Res]

The magical world of the great Cuban-American woodwind master Paquito D’Rivera continues to expand. Over his seven decades in music, D’Rivera has become engaged with musicians hailing from locations all throughout the world. His most recent release, La Fleur de Cayenne, highlights his work with an ensemble of Cuban expatriates and a Colombian vibraphonist who call Madrid, Spain home with a group they call the Madrid-New York Connection Band.

D'Rivera has called the United States home since the early 1980s, his arrival creating a spark in New York City’s jazz and Latin music communities. His interest in the music and collaborations with musicians from different origins have made D’Rivera a magnetic personality, continually attracting individuals interested in incorporating his brilliant sounds on clarinet and saxophone into their music.

In the late 1990s, D’Rivera was enjoying a quiet evening at his New Jersey home when a car pulled up nearby. A handful of young musicians called out to him, explaining that they were Cuban musicians living in Spain who wanted to see where D’Rivera lived. That was how D’Rivera met Pepe Rivero, a pianist and composer originally from Manzanillo, thus beginning a long and fruitful musical relationship.

Rivero introduced D’Rivera to other Cubans living in Spain, including drummer Georvis Pico, percussionist Yuvisney Aguilar, and bassist Reinier “El Negrón” Elizarde. While in Spain, D’Rivera would regularly reunite with these fantastic musicians along with the Colombian vibraphonist Sebastián Laverde.

After nearly two decades of inspired collaborations, D’Rivera and the Spanish contingent have come together to form the Madrid-New York Connection Band and record their first album together, La Fleur de Cayenne. The recording was done in Madrid in December 2024 and features original songs by D’Rivera and Rivero, who was also essential in the recording and mastering of the album, along with a wide-ranging program of music with Latin roots, from Cuban son to Argentinean folk song and tango.

The program begins with D’Rivera’s “La Fleur de Cayenne,” a deftly challenging Venezuelan joropo, that allows D’Rivera’s clarinet to dance with Laverde’s vibes and churning percussion. The fantastic Spanish harmonica player Antonio Serrano is featured on Bebo Valdes’ “Miriam,” the piece unfurling with Rivero’s romantic piano and D’Rivera’s warm alto sound over a lush harmonic bed. Rivero’s “Paq-Man in La Pampa” leans into an Argentinian chacarera as the band swings and sways to D’Rivera’s clarinet.

D’Rivera’s energetic “Vals Venezolano” is a feisty piece with a tricky melody and tons of rhythmic diversity, providing much for the musicians to dig into on their solo features. Carlos Aguirre’s lovely “Milonga Gris” begins ambiently before picking up pace, settling into a mild uptempo groove.

Written by the beloved Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona for the imposing San Lorenzo Monastery, “Ante El Escorial” is performed with a noble and swinging flair with D’Rivera’s alto adding hints of the blues. Lecuona’s “A la Antigua” follows with a fascinating arrangement with clarinet and vibraphone riffing on the melody as Rivero’s piano holds down the rhythm and harmony. The recording concludes with the legendary film composer Ennio Morricone’s “Cinema Paradiso,” performed with a laid back and seductive style aided by the addition of Serrano’s gorgeous harmonica.

Paquito D’Rivera and the Madrid-New York Connection Band discover a tremendous blend of sounds from the musical worlds that these musicians span. From the sounds of Cuba, Spain, Argentina and the Caribbean, La Fleur de Cayenne provides a moving look into the musical web that D’Rivera has woven with these brilliant collaborators.

Paquito D'Rivera - clarinet & alto saxophone
Pepe Rivero - piano
Reynier Elizarde "El Negron" - contrabass
Georvis Pic - drums
Yuvisney Aguilar - percussion
Sebastian Laverde - vibraphone
Antonio Serrano - harmonica (2 & 8)