From the recording Explorations
The Danzón has been called the official dance of Cuba, and evolved from the French-Haitian Contradance, brought to Cuba by Haitians fleeing the revolution of the late1700s, with later Cuban composers adding elements of the traditional Cuban Son.
This Danzon was written by Paquito D'Rivera as a trio for piano and either violin, clarinet or trumpet as the treble instrument and cello, trombone, or bassoon as the bass instrument. It begins serenely, with an almost Impressionistic motif, then quickly segues into a fast, intense dance section, with all three parts briefly in unison. After expanding on these two themes, a brief cello solo introduces a rhythmic pattern played by the cello and piano which then serves as a foundation over which the clarinet improvises a solo before ending with a brief return to the dance theme followed by a quiet and beautiful conclusion.
Publisher: International Opus