Jesus Fuentes, Liminality: Live At Smith 25 Review

Born in Juarez, Mexico, Jesus Fuentes is a studied pianist, arranger, and educator. Currently a DMA candidate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His Master’s degree in Jazz Piano Performance is from Texas Tech University. The diversity of music he plays is best represented in the variety of groups he has performed with, artists such as Tom Harrell, Allen Vizzutti, Jaleel Shaw, Jiggs Wigham, and The Glenn Miller Orchestra. In other genres, Jesus has accompanied artists such as Joe Ely, Mac Davis, Ian Moore, and Il Divo and being a member of the metal band Orcus O Dis. Juarez is now releasing his EP titled, Liminality: Live At Smith 25.

Bottom Line: Liminality: Live At Smith 25 is a culmination of this first recital for his Doctor of Musical Arts degree. Due to COVID-19 regulations, a live audience was not allowed, but the performance was live-streamed. The live essence, captured in the recording’s spontaneity with no overdubs, all first takes is breathtaking. His quartet is comprised of Jesus Fuentes: piano; Matt Storie: sax; Maxwell Osawa: drums; and Andrew Binder: bass. “Tren Azul,” offers all the trappings of straight-ahead jazz with a shimmering melody that unwinds itself with a satiated saxophone solo by Storie. Fuentes punctuates with well-placed commentary under the sax, creating a propelling forward motion with drummer Osawa and bassist Binder, before taking the lead with his solo that glides effortlessly across the melody. A Latin tune, “Só Tinha De Ser Com Você,” is a breezy respite on the EP’s continued journey. “Passion Dance,” is filled with electricity. The quartet well represents its fierce melody. Finishing out Liminality: Live At Smith 25, “Va de Nuez,” adds a seductively mysterious melody that evolves into a hard-swinging piece that ties up the entire EP with a superior variance of selections highlighting Fuentes’ arranging and quartet’s camaraderie of playing with a classic sound. That’s the short of it!