MICHEL CAMILO, Sheraton City Centre, Monday

In every way the smallish stage at the Sheraton Monday was rocking — literally, back and forth.

The men responsible were percussionist Dafnis Prieto, bassist Charles Flores and the man who leads the trio, pianist Michel Camilo.

Each played with verve and enough energy to visibly shake the microphones around the stage, and it wouldn't have been much of a surprise to see the chandeliers in the ballroom swaying a little as well.

The cliche is that a top-notch pianist can really tickle the ivories, but Camilo went far beyond that. He pounded, throttled and pummelled them. The glossy Steinway & Sons instrument has likely never been coaxed into a performance quite like Monday's.

That isn't to say that the jazz master only plays one way. There was plenty of contrast, with ballads and gentle song-building, allowing the trio and audience to gather itself before the next flurry was on.

There was plenty of polish but no complacent playing by the numbers. Each member of the trio watched the others for clues, exchanging winks, nods, smiles and eye contact that communicated enough to keep them together while jamming.

Despite all the energy, a highlight of the first half of the show was "My Secret Place," a beautiful, peaceful number that included Flores bringing out a bow for the only time of the night. His usual forceful plucking left viewers marveling at the calluses that must adorn his fingers.

The second half of the show announced that the band was just warming up in the first. The greatness of the performance came not from the speed and strength but the complexity of what was played, often with "Flight of the Bumble Bee" sensibilities.

The trio eventually launched into "Hurry Up and Wait," which was called a "little bit of a crazy song" by the gregarious Camilo. The pacing and precision were impressive.

It was destined to be the high point of the show until the final number, the title of which was unannounced. It started impressively, flavored by Prieto. This song featured extra inter-band reaction and freewheeling, starting with fireworks and crescendoing with Camilo stealing back the spotlight at the end with chord and fingering that left the audience marveling. After it was over, the audience stood and cheered an incendiary performance.

The only negative about the evening was one echoed through the audience: The hotel ballroom was simply too hot. Perhaps the performance was to blame.

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E-mail: lc@desnews.com