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Claude Diallo Situation

Claude Diallo, Luques Curtis and Andy Bauer — CDS with Luques Curtis + Andy Bauer

Claude Diallo, Luques Curtis and Túpac Mantilla in Italy, 2025 — CDS with Luques Curtis + Túpac Mantilla

Claude Diallo Situation (CDS) is the flagship ensemble of Swiss pianist, composer, and bandleader Claude Diallo, dedicated to performing his original music through an ever-evolving collaborative format. Founded in 2007 in Boston at Berklee College of Music, the jazz piano trio counts two times Grammy winning bass player Luques Curtis (Eddie Palmieri, Zaccai Curtis) and New York based drummer Andy Bauer to the core formation. In 2021 Colombian percussionist and drummer Túpac Mantilla joined the family. With the American record label Dot Time Records the trio released several albums since 2020 of which two albums, I found a new home in 2021 and 11:11 2023 were selected within the ballot of the pre-selection for nomination of the Grammys. Andy Bauer’s Animation’s Contemplation made it into the soundtrack of Jesse Eisenbergs Hollywood director’s debut When You Finish Saving the World. Two records were released accompanying Swiss Jazz legend Bruno Spoerri.

Blending contemporary jazz, improvisation, and global musical influences, Claude Diallo Situation has performed internationally in clubs, concert halls, and festivals, continually evolving while remaining rooted in artistic creativity, collective interaction, and Claude Diallo’s distinctive compositional voice.

Line-ups

One trio, two formations. Select a card to hear and see each one.

Video

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Claude Diallo Situation, with Luques Curtis on bass and Andy Bauer on drums. Released by Dot Time Records in 2021 and selected within the ballot of the pre-selection for nomination of the Grammys.

I found a new home From the album I found a new home · Dot Time Records --:--

Video

Audio

Claude Diallo Situation, with Luques Curtis on bass and Túpac Mantilla on drums and percussion. Released by Dot Time Records in 2023 and selected within the ballot of the pre-selection for nomination of the Grammys.

11:11 From the album 11:11 · Dot Time Records --:--

What the Press Says

DownBeat ★★★★☆

Review of 11:11

Swiss pianist Claude Diallo got his jazz pedigree from studying at Berklee in Boston and living in New York for 11 years. But he’s also soaked up myriad influences in his worldwide travels over the years. On his seventh Situation recording, and 16th overall as a leader or co-leader, he joins stalwart bassist Luques Curtis and Columbian drummer-percussionist Túpac Mantilla on a program of tricky, odd-metered piano trio music inspired by rhythms from Africa, South America and Eastern Europe.

The buoyant opener, “African Roots,” jumps back and forth from 7/8 to 4/4 while carrying a hint of Abdullah Ibrahim in the joyful bridge. Curtis’ uptempo swinger “Phinish” (dedicated to the birth of his son Phineas) is a “Rhythm”-changes romp underscored by Mantilla’s slick brushwork and featuring a commanding bass solo. Diallo demonstrates a strong left hand on the driving, Brazilian flavored “Goodbye Blanche Neige.”

“Bona,” dedicated to the Cameroonian bassist Richard Bona, and the title track are both intricate rhythmic puzzles, while the restful ballad “I Remember JSL” was composed by Swiss jazz legend Bruno Spoerri and is dedicated to Swiss journalist and music critic Jan Slawe.

Curtis’ “La Finca” is a bomba-fueled nod to his Puerto Rican roots, while Diallo’s jaunty, blues-drenched medium-tempo swinger “Ray Santisi” is a nod to his Berklee piano professor and mentor. And for a change of pace from the program of originals, they cover the standard “Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered” with a 7/8 twist.

Bill Milkowski, DownBeat, August 2023