Pianist/composer Holman Alvarez sees the world through a compositional lens. On his newest release, Hidden Objects, he leads an all-star band through nine expressive, serpentine compositions that reveal a unique musical worldview. In his playing, there is a touching lyricism and forward-thinking harmony, mixing warmth with the cerebral. And there are references to the Latin American rhythms and modern classical figures that are an innate part of Alvarez’s compositional and improvisational vocabulary. Beyond musical touchstones, though, it’s evident that there is a much more grand, big-picture artistic vision at work.
