Live at Birdland CamJazz****

For this foray into latin jazz territory, Pieranunzi leads a quintet formidably equipped for the idiom: Argentina's Diego Urcola (trumpet), Cuba's Yosvany Terry (alto/soprano), Mexico's Antonio Sanchez (drums), and John Patitucci (bass). As might be expected, Sanchez drives the group brilliantly, Patitucci is stunning (his solos on the ballads Rosa del Mare and Miradas are inspirational) and both the excellent Urcola and Terry offer distinctive solo options. Ebullient and inventive on piano, Pieranunzi is also clearly enjoying himself. He wrote all the material, which bears his typically melodic charm, yet fits the genre to the manner born. Perhaps the quintet's finest outing, individually and collectively, is on Choro del Infinito Hombre, whose contrasting bright tempo and minor feel produce the evening's most emotionally freighted work. See CamJazz.com