For the best part of his career the 49 year-old pianist has been something of a cultural evangelist for his native Panama and this is arguably the most complete statement he has made on its rich history. The basic hook is the 500 year anniversary of the discovery of the Pacific Ocean, which came by way of a journey by Spanish explorer Balboa through the Panama Isthmus, but the political scope is much wider, reflecting Pérez's desire to herald the crucial role of indigenous people in the country's birth and development. Hence the substantial input of musicians from the Guna ethnic group alongside Pérez's regular trio (Ben Street and Adam Cruz), as well as his bandmates from Wayne Shorter's Quartet (John Patitucci and Brian Blade). The cast is completed by two string players, making for a considerable sum of resources that Pérez marshals effectively. What results is a sophisticated but earthy songbook that has something of the restlessly shifting, kaleidoscopic nature of Shorter's music. There is also the dancing pulse of Afro-latin folk, the structural tautness of European classical music and the restless flux of American jazz. Short narrated passages and startling volleys of bird sounds fashioned by the Guna artists José Angel Colman and José Antonio Rayans heighten the underlying drama of the music, and Pérez also skillfully blurs the line between composition and improvisation. His solos are episodic, melodic miniatures set against rapidly moving harmony to induce a sense of playfulness that does not detract from the political magnitude of the work. When Pérez announced his arrival in the jazz premier league with 1996's brilliant Panamonk it was clear that the spirit of his heartland would drive his creative engine. Yet few could have imagined he would journey as deeply into ‘heritage music’ with the verve and integrity of this latest project. A quiet but notable landmark.