Afro Puerto Rican Jazz
PMC, 2025
9/10
Listen to Afro Puerto Rican Jazz
The bassist-composer Alex ‘Apolo’ Ayala bridges the gap between Afro-Puerto Rican music and mainstream jazz here, where the 10 tracks welcome many exceptional players.
The animated climate of “Río Piedras” opens with Ayala’s playful bass acrobatics and Fernando Garcia’s frisky drums making for plenty of cultured rhythm, and “Agonía Suite” follows with 3 colorful segments that present both busy and gentle climates of profound beauty.
In the middle, “Bomba Carambomba” showcases Victor Pablo García’s lively percussion amid Andrew Gould’s bright sax bouts, while “Ngudi” finds an intimate place to reside via the soft melodies and cautious demeanor.
Landing close to the end, “3D Plena” spotlights Nelson Matthew González’s radiant requinto drum that suits the worldly gestures, and “Cueumbé” exits with plenty of modern jazz appeal amid dynamic drumming and percussion.
An innovative effort that also relies on tradition, Ayala and company also inject classical and world music flavor into this exceptional album.
Travels well with: Leon Anderson- Live At Snug Harbor; Jack Leckie- Plantar Of Seeds