A Juno Award-winning Cuban-born, Canada-based pianist, Hilario Durán brings together Afro-Cuban musical traditions with his harmonically nuanced ear for contemporary and post-bop jazz. He initially gained fame in the 1970s succeeding Chucho Valdés as the pianist in Cuba's Orquesta Cubana de Música Moderna. Durán also spent a decade with Arturo Sandoval's band, playing with Dizzy Gillespie, Michel Legrand, and others, before settling in Canada. He has worked closely with flutist/saxophonist Jane Bunnett and released acclaimed albums like 1999's Habana Nocturna, the Juno Award-winning New Danzon, and the Juno Award-winning, Grammy-nominated From the Heart, the latter of which featured his Latin Jazz Big Band. Durán returned to Cuba for 2019's all-star Contumbao and again led his big band on 2023's Cry Me a River.