Cuban-Canadian pianist and composer Hilario Durán leads a 19-piece ensemble on Cry Me a River, his first big band recording in 17 years.

Along with Hilario Durán and his Latin Jazz Big Band, the album also features special guests Paquito D’Rivera, Horacio “El Negro” Hernández, and OKAN.

A mix of originals and existing material, the nine works on the recording stem from the Grammy-nominated and Juno-winning artist’s Afro-Caribbean cultural topography, but they also showcase his gifts for bending tradition and infusing his arrangements with improvisation.

“I have waited almost 20 years to record another big band album,” Durán says. “But there was plenty of preparation for this moment … It seemed that the time is right for this new album.”

Here’s the track listing:

  1. Pacá po Juanito
  2. Mambo y Tumbao
  3. Claudia
  4. I Remember Mingus
  5. Cry Me A River
  6. Night In Tunisia
  7. Wild Blues
  8. Esperando la Carroza (Waiting for the Float)
  9. Fantasia Impromptu

Hilario Durán and his Latin Jazz Big Band’s Cry Me a River is out Sept. 8, 2023, via Alma Records.