Danilo Pérez: Panama 500

Danilo Pérez, the pianist in Wayne Shorter's high-wire quartet and an esteemed bandleader in his own right, celebrates Panama 500, a new concept album themed around Vasco Núñez de Balboa's so-called "discovery" of the Pacific Ocean in 1513. Here, four players from the disc's sizable ensemble cast—bassist Ben Street, drummer Adam Cruz, percussionist-vocalist Roman Díaz and violinist Alex Hargreaves—help Pérez re-create his propulsive, handsomely intricate themes in the live setting.