Gonzalo Rubalcaba: Supernova (2012)

Jazz piano virtuoso Rubalcaba -- one of the finest Cuban exports this side of the Buena Vista Social Club -- has been a contender for over a decade. On earlier recordings, his pianistic pyrotechnics grabbed the ear and head while sometimes depriving the heart, but that tendency has yielded to all-purpose musicality. Supernova neatly showcases Rubalcaba's strengths: unerring yet playful rhythm, technical ferocity when required, burnished balladry, and Cuban swagger blended with jazz suavity, all connected with fiery hands and a cool head.