This promising debut showcases the prodigious talents of Argentinean trumpet player Diego Urcola to excellent effect. With his warm, even-handed tone and precise attack, Urcola's sound is unique, and he brings a sophisticated, contemporary flair to his take on Latin jazz with Argentine roots. The album opens with a nod to Argentine musical genius Astor Piazzolla on the Urcola-penned "Blues for Astor." Juan Dargenton's mournful bandoneon channels Piazzolla's avant-garde tangos perfectly before Urcola leads the ensemble into a heavily swinging session of straightforward blowing.
In fact, save a bandoneon-colored version of Miles Davis's "Blue in Green," all of the album's tunes were composed by Argentines, including native figureheads Virgilio Esposito and Ariel Ramirez (the latter's open, drifting "Alfonsina y el Mar" is one of the album's highlights). Juan Raffo's "Artigas, Mano Izquierda" combines Latin flavor with the surging funk of late-1970s fusion, and gives Urcola plenty of room to unfurl his chops. The trumpeter is flanked by fine personnel throughout, and SOUNDANCES gleams with a chemistry and cohesion that complements the superb choice of tunes.