Cuban pianist, composer and arranger Manuel Valera is at the forefront of contemporary modern jazz. He represents the next generation of great performers and composers. On his new Maxjazz release, "Currents," his sound is fresh, inviting and evocative, and his musical ideas bring a vitality and newness to the idioms of jazz and Latin jazz. Joining Valera on this date is bassist James Genus and drummer Ernesto Simpson. "Currents" features five original compositions as well as a number of standards by the likes of Cahn, Gershwin and Berlin.