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The Havana-born saxophonist-clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera was a member of the Cuban National Symphony. He was also a star in Chucho Valdes's supergroup, Irakere, and played with Dizzy Gillespie before he defected to Spain and relocated to the U.S. in the early 1980s. This collection comprises selections from his Columbia recordings from 1981 to 1987. These tracks highlight D'Rivera's extraordinary fusion of the Cuban clave with jazz and classical music. D'Rivera's razor-sharp alto and soprano sax lines echo Charlie Parker's flights on the dancing "Monk-Tuno," the Cu-bop classic "Manteca," and the festive number, "Why Not!," while his clarinet improvisations recall Benny Goodman's tones. Long before Calle 54, Paquito D'Rivera was moving Latin jazz to the next level. --Eugene Holley Jr.