Not quite thirty years ago, my younger sister returned from her first sojourn in Brasil, flew to meet us in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and when we got to our apartment, said "sit down, and listen to this". She was right.

Music by an artist from a small island that speaks with a big voice.

Music of passion and conscience. Once, when traveling in Chile, I asked a sales person at a music store what he would recommend if he wanted to introduce a traveler to something special about the music of his country. He handed me this CD. It gets played a lot.

For one song, the title cut, Joaquin Rodrigo's classic "Concierto de Aranjuez", meditatively played by sveral of the jazz giants of our time.

Road music for your in-car CD changer, if you have a turbo. Late at night, when you're in bed, Dominicans are dancing somewhere. This recording explains why. Play loud, and call me in the morning.

Desert island music from the seared soul of the streets of early 70's Detroit, a master work from Motown's tragic prince. The three AM hits from this recording may seem almost too familiar. In the context of the full work, played end to end, they are both a prayer and a cry of pain. Essential.

A friend introduced me to this man's music by sending me a MP3 file. What a wonderful world, indeed. Hawaii, beyond the sliding glass doors of your hotel lobby.

Buy this recording for one reason -- to serve as a reminder to go to see this band in concert if they're ever within driving distance of where you live. This recording is only a hint of how much joy you will have, and how much dancing you will do.