The Celebrated Cuban-Canadian Composer and Piano-Master Hilario Durán has been awarded a Latin GRAMMY for Best Arrangement for the track “Night in Tunisia,” recorded in his 2023 album Cry Me A River. In this stellar big band recording Durán leads his 19-piece ensemble featuring special guests Paquito D’Rivera, Horacio “El Negro” Hernández and OKAN.
“A Night in Tunisia” is a musical composition written by American trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie in 1942. Originally called by Gillespie “Interlude,” it has become a jazz standard. It was one of the signature pieces of Gillespie’s bebop big band, which he also played with his small groups.
Maestro Durán accepted the award last Thursday, November 14, 2024 at the Kaseya Center in Miami Florida. It was the third time that the big night of Latin Music was celebrated in that city.
For those of us who closely follow Maestro Durán’s musical career, we are extremely pleased that he has received this award. It is a well deserved recognition that comes at a very important moment in his musical career.
Durán thanked the academy, his family, all his musicians, guest artists, Paquito D’Rivera, Horacio “El Negro” Hernández, the duet OKAN, Peter Cardinali, president of Alma Records, “Chucho Valdés for being a great influence throughout most of my life,” and all the people who have made the success of his latest album possible. He also thanked the country of Canada, where he’s been living for many years. Cry Me A River already received a Canadian JUNO Award in the category of Jazz Album of the Year (group) last March.
The commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Latin GRAMMY Awards was very special for artists and for the whole Latin music community. The Latin Recording Academy rose to the occasion and fulfilled its mandate to celebrate the excellence across all genres.
Report by Danilo Navas for latinjazznet.com