Joseph Diamond, truly atypical

In the United States, the first recording of Joseph Diamond scores well for an album produced independently. Without recourse to radio play, uniquely thanks to Internet exposure, Diamond has already done well for himself since the producers of Sex and the City have approached him to use his music in several episodes. And this after being released only three months ago.

Joseph Diamond is a pianist who prefers Latin rhythms, but he's especially a remarkable melodist. Each of the album's cuts is instantly memorable, which could be a detriment on a jazz album when beautiful melodies leave no place for improvisation.

But that's happily not the case here: Diamond knows how to take risks. Take for example the multiple rhythmic chamges and the fingering on "Cuchifrito" and on "M & M," where the second part offers a Latin rereading of the first part with post-bop influences.

Perhaps to silence critics who underestimate Latin jazz, Diamond demonstrates spirit on several more classic pieces, especially the short ballad "Broken Heart." On the other hand, one would do well to skip the horrible "Julia" since the piano is so lost in a sea of synthesizers that make one think it's only because Rick Wakeman happened to be in the studio!

But this is just a minor criticism, since the cut "Un Hombre" (that Diamond, in typical New York style, dedicates to the baseball player Bernie Williams) quickly makes you forget it; the piano solo, using the piano as a percussion instrument, is worth the price of a ticket to Yankee Stadium.

Congratulations, Don McCormick