Pianist Danilo Perez barely has time to catch his breath these days, but that's how he likes it. And it may also be one of the reasons he's been so successful in so many endeavors. Whether as a solo artist, a longtime member of Wayne Shorter's quartet, a teacher at two of America's most prestigious music schools, the force behind a wave of cultural initiatives in his native Panama, or just being papa for his two young daughters, Daniella and Carolina, Perez's daily life has become a blur. His saving grace is an ability to improvise in any situation, musical or not.
When the phone rang one day and his longtime producer, Tommy LiPuma, relayed news that legendary composer and arranger Claus Ogerman had chosen him as the featured soloist for a new orchestral album, Perez was both stunned and overjoyed. Working with a classical-grounded repertoire would be challenging, and submitting himself to Ogerman's whims would certainly be an invaluable learning experience. So, with bassist Christian McBride, drummer Lewis Nash and percussionist Luis Quintero on board and with guest vocalist Cassandra Wilson slated to sing on two tracks, he embraced the concept and waited nervously for the composer's music to arrive so that Across the Crystal Sea (Emarcy) could begin to take shape.
With Perez in the spotlight role, the album reunites three of the most acclaimed behind-the-scenes talents the jazz world has known in the past three decades - conductor, arranger and composer Ogerman, producer LiPuma and recording engineer Al Schmitt. Their complementary skills have put the most glistening sheen possible on dozens of pop-jazz masterpieces, from George Benson's Breezin' in 1976 to Diana Krall's The Look of Love in 2001.
"About four years ago, I told Claus that before we hang up our shoes, we should do a symphonic album again," says the 74-year-old LiPuma, recalling previous collaborations that began with Ogerman's fondly remembered 1977 release Gate of Dreams. The fabled producer's skills have provided a winning edge for such artists as Michael Franks, Al Jarreau, Barbra Streisand, Miles Davis, Dr. John and countless others, earning him 29 gold and platinum records and 30 Grammy nominations. "At the same time," LiPuma continues, "I sent Claus the albums of Danilo's that I had produced, and he really liked them. Then, about a year ago, he said that he'd come up with a project to fit that concept, and Across the Crystal Sea was born." But this project would be something different; there would be no short, airplay-friendly tracks cut from the conventional jazz-with-strings mold. From the beginning, LiPuma knew it would be a true labor of love and perhaps a final opportunity to add luster to Ogerman's legacy as a serious composer and peerless arranger.
"These are all melodies that I've known since I was a child," Ogerman says of the core repertoire on Across the Crystal Sea. "I have always wanted to record them, and I agreed with Tommy that before we all leave this planet that we should get it all on tape. And that's exactly what we did."
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