Cuban jazz pianist Marialy Pacheco is a storyteller. Every note she plays has meaning. Whether she plays full, flowing chords on her grand piano or lets her fingers fly stormily across the keys, there is always an idea or experience behind it. And she has already experienced a great deal.

With Reload, she presents her twelfth album. One might think it's a declaration of war. After all, "reload" means to reload ammunition. Marialy Pacheco is indeed a fighter. She has to be. How else would she be where she is today? This strong, intelligent, charming, vivacious, and overwhelmingly romantic woman is the only Cuban jazz pianist of international renown. Not just currently, but throughout music history.

With the exception of two Cuban "standards," her latest work consists entirely of her own compositions. "I wanted to expand my color palette," she says of the concept behind the album. "My Cuban roots extend into Latin American traditions and my influences from classical music." The sounds are both authentic and traditional and modern, thanks in part to two young Colombian musicians: Juan Camillo Villa on bass and Miguel Altamar de la Torre on drums. The album is a melting pot of different musical identities and a treasure trove of extensive life experiences — perhaps one of the most impressive and emotional albums of our time.