Edward Simon.

• Author: Holston, Mark

Contemporary instrumental music has benefited greatly in recent years from the contributions of composers and instrumentalists from a wide variety of backgrounds in Latin America and the Caribbean. While these three young artists have disparate backgrounds and influences, they share the common aspiration of blending the cultural influences of their homelands with more pervasive international elements and attracting a broader audience to their artistry.

Of the three, Simon, a pianist and composer from Venezuela, is the best known. A scholarship to study classical music at Philadelphia's University of the Arts brought him to the U.S., but Simon soon migrated to New York for jazz studies at the Manhattan School of Music and the launching of a performing and recording career that includes high-profile work with such jazz and Latin artists as Kevin Eubanks, Terrence Blanchard, and Claudio Roditi.

On this self-titled release, his second album as a leader, Simon and his quintet perform five original compositions and pay homage to his Venezuelan heritage through jazz-fashioned readings of the two-part "Alma Llanera" by Pedro Elias Gutierrez and "Caballo Viejo" by Simon Diaz. Simon's music has been aptly described as an amalgam of Afro-Caribbean rhythms and Venezuelan folk songs - usually obliquely referenced - and the post-bop mixture of Latin and jazz. His delicate touch and pensive style have drawn comparisons to such jazz piano icons as Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett. Marvels saxophonist Bobby Watson, a former employer, "Edward makes me dream."

Munoz, a native of Costa Rica with a strong academic background in music at San Jose's National Music Conservatory and the University of Costa Rica, has made his mark in recent years as a composer, percussionist, producer, and arranger. His credits...