New Yorker Bobby Avey is a pianist on a steep upward curve. Still in his 20s, he has won the prestigious Thelonious Monk piano competition, released two critically acclaimed albums, and is a member of eminent saxophonist Dave Liebman's working group. Avey's solo album, Be Not So Long to Speak (2012), revealed a musician of rare depth and restless creativity. Here, with support from a superb quintet that includes saxophonist Miguel Zenon and guitarist Ben Monder, he takes another bold step forward, drawing on Haitian voodou drumming, which he recorded himself on location in Haiti, to craft a suite of music that is powerful, not only in the stark originality of the writing, but also in the solidarity it shows for an oppressed people. bobbyavey.com