CD Title: Refugee Martignon’s witty conception... pairs tunes that sequentially bookend each other. Time shifts, brisk turnarounds and bounding rhythms flash by with... dry bravado...it’s a likable mix. Martignon solos with crisp invention, and breathily sings his heartfelt “Observatory”. Fred Bouchard, DOWNBEAT Nov, 07 His third album as a leader and freshman statement for this record label, pianist/composer Hector Martignon seemingly enlists the entire New York Latin-jazz musicians’ community for this rather zippy, and upbeat endeavor. These tracks feature bass heroes such as Eddie Gomez, Richard Bona and Matthew Garrison laying it all out within a variety of tempos and dynamically-inclined opuses. Oh, and let’s not forget drummers Dafnis Prieto, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez; pianist Kenny Barron, and guitarist Mark Whitfield lending their formidable wares as the list goes on. At times, the musicians’ expenditure of raw energy would conceivably be ample enough to power New York City’s subway system. Therefore, a hefty portion of Martignon’s compositions are designed with impetus-building signatures; brisk Latin-jazz rhythms and pumping bass lines in concordance with the soloists’ zesty call/response mechanisms. They temper the flow a bit on the rock-funk tinged piece “You Won’t Forget Me,” featuring Whitfield’s medium-toned licks and the leader’s tuneful single note phrasings. Moreover, Martignon affords his band-mates’ room to explore and navigate amid