Cuban pianist, composer, and arranger Emiliano Salvador, who died on the island in 1992 at age 41, didn't live long enough to enjoy the newfound interest in Cuban music or the kind of international recognition he richly deserved. Ayer y Hoy, completed shortly before his death, is his last album as a leader and it is a jewel. Salvador can be ebullient and precise ("Danza Para Cuatro"), swing lightly and with humor ("Chachacha Junto a Ti," the classic "Capullito de Aleli"), or suggest a forward-looking traditionalist ("Para Luego Es Tarde") and a sober romantic ("Alli"). Throughout, Salvador comes across as a player steeped in the Cuban piano tradition but comfortable with bebop phrasing, lush post-bop harmonies and angular accents. He is also a pianist with an arranger's mind, always putting his considerable technique at the service of the music. Ayer y Hoy is Cuban jazz at its best. --Fernando Gonzalez