Chucho Valdes

Listening to Chucho Valdes enthrall an Argentinean audience at Buenos Aires' iconic Teatro Colon feels a little bit like hearing Art Tatum miraculously transposed to the present day. Like Tatum, genre distinctions don't exist for Valdes -- jazz, classical and Afro-Cuban music converse freely in his solo piano playing. But Valdes' flourishes are much more restrained than Tatum's: His playing is crisp and clear-eyed, and his choice of material -- ranging from Thelonious Monk to the Cuban classic "Son de la Loma" -- inspired. A marvelous recording by a living legend for any fan of piano music.