While working as a sideman for Terrence Blanchard and Bobby Watson, and sessions with Herbie Mann and Paquito D’Rivera, Edward Simon pursued a solo career under his own name. Most of that music was released on niche indie labels and a generous helping can be heard on the two-CD retrospective 25 Years. The pianist-composer, of Venezuelan origin, plays an elegant hand incorporating Latin hues into a European classical palette. Some of the dreamier moments suggest Keith Jarret; the rhythmic complexities point to his compositional and combo-leading skills.
