Paoli Mejias – De Jazzambia A Mi Tambor – El Concierto
Review by Danilo Navas -
Master percussionist Paoli Mejias belongs to a generation of artists who are redefining puertoricanness in musical terms with their artistry. Mixing diverse Afro-Caribbean styles with global rhythms, based upon traditional/popular puertorican music, bomba, plena, aguinaldo, and holding it all together within the realm of modern jazz, Paoli is at the forefront of creation of an exciting, recognizable sound.
While watching this concert, “Paoli Mejias de Jazzambia a Mi Tambor” three things come to mind.
1. The high level of musicianship of the performers, Paoli’s band and special guests being featured.
2. The high quality, technically speaking, of this superb high definition audio visual creation.
3. The remarkable fact that this is an independent production.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as it’s been the case with the three CDs previously released by Paoli Mejias. Truly a feast for the senses, “Paoli Mejias de Jazzambia a Mi Tambor” doesn’t dissapoint at all, on the contrary, it does live up to the expectations of an increasingly demanding legion of discerning viewers/listeners. Paoli’s followers, and I count myself in, couldn’t be more delighted with this long-awaited live video recording.
“De Jazzambia a Mi Tambor” showcases compositions previously recorded by Mejias on his three albums as a bandleader, plus some new arrangements. There are some memorable, inspired moments in most of the performances, especially on the opening and closing songs.
Diaspora, a composition penned by Miguel Zenón, opens up the concert with a percussive explosion, a trio of djembes led by Paoli. Zenón on alto sax and Yan Artime on piano raise the tension to exhilarating levels. Paoli’s djembe solo closes the song with unparalleled intensity.
Jibarology, a composition by Néstor Toro, is based on a traditional Puertorrican rhythm known as aguinaldo jibaro campesino. Christian Nieves is featured on Puerto Rican cuatro guitar.
Encomienda, another composition written by Miguel Zenón, pairs him up with Jonathan Suazo on alto sax on a tremendous Latin jazz arrangement.
Logos, another composition by Néstor Toro, is a fusion of various forms of Mediterranean rhytms, featuring Mejias on congas first and then fiercely soloing on timbales.
El Cacique Rebelde is a progressive Afro-jazz composition by bassist Aldemar Valentín that features L. Raúl Romero on guitar.
Seres is a composition by L. Raúl Romero. An experimental bomba of Loiza featuring Paoli on tambor primo, Amarilys Rios on vocals, Ricardo Pons and Norberto “Tiko” Ortiz on soprano sax and bomba dancer Manuel Carmona.
Rumba 7x 4 with Yuba-Ire is a composition by Paoli Mejias that features Afro-Caribbean folkloric group Yuba-Iré. Rumba dancers Jhan Lee Aponte, Yinaidarys Rivera, Jorvian Santana and Vivian Ayala add color and dimension to this terrific performance.
Hello Nany is a composition by pianist Yan Carlos Artime, who’s joined by Paoli on a heartfelt duet. This song is dedicated to Paoli’s father. Artime’s piano execution engages on a sublime performance with Mejias’ masterful bongo playing.
Metafísica Ancestral, composed by Paoli Mejías and Pável Urkiza, arranged by Urkiza and orchestrated by Javier Curet is a bomba canción that showcases Paoli and Amarilys Ríos Rosa, on vocals first and then on bomba drums. Prodigious six-year old bomba dancer Jenielys Villafañe Bultrón shines on this track.
Oye Como Suena, composed by Paoli Mejías and arranged by Ricardo Pons is a classical descarga that features NG2 singers Norberto Vélez and Gerardo Rivas improvising as true soneros. Javier Oquendo on bongos, Daniel Diaz on timbales and Mejias on congas, have each one their turn to shine on their instruments.
The concert comes to an electrifying closing with Vengan Leones, a traditional plena composition written by Mejías and arranged by Ricardo Pons. It features Tito Matos on pandero. Matos, who is recognized as one of the best requinto players of his generation, leads an ensemble of seasoned pleneros who join Paoli’s band and all the special guests, contributing to set the stage on fire.
Buy De Jazzambia A Mi Tambor El Concierto online at www.filmbaby.com/films/5914
Paoli Mejias’ official website: www.paolimejias.com
Screenshot from track 1: Diaspora (left to right: Japhet Murguia, Paoli Mejias and Daniel Diaz on djembe)
Screenshot from track 2: Jibarology (Alex “Apolo” Ayala on bass, Christian Nieves on Puerto Rican cuatro guitar, Paoli Mejias on congas)
Screenshot from track 3: Encomienda (Miguel Zenón on alto sax)
Screenshot from track 4: Logos (Raúl Maldonado on drums, Paoli Mejias on timbales)
Screenshot from track 5: El Cacique Rebelde (Raúl Maldonado on drums, Christian Nieves on electric guitar, Paoli Mejias on congas)
Screenshot from track 6: Seres (at the front: Amarilys Rios on vocals, bomba dancer Manuel Carmona)
Screenshot from track 7: Rumba 7×4 with-Yuba Ire (Rumba dancers Jhan Lee Aponte, Yinaidarys Rivera, Jorvian Santana and Vivian Ayala)
Screenshot from track 8: Hello Nany (Yan Carlos Artime on piano, Paoli Mejias on bongos)
Screenshot from track 9: Metafisica Ancestral (bomba dancer Jenielys Villafañe Bultrón, Paoli and Amarilys Ríos Rosa on bomba drums)
Screenshot from track 10: Como Suena (Gerardo Rivas, Wichy Camacho, Norberto Vélez on vocals)
Screenshot from track 11: Vengan Leones (Tito Matos on pandero, with the whole band)
Notes taken from the disc jacket and Paoli Mejias’ official website: www.paolimejias.com
This live recording is a captivating musical journey of Paoli’s evolution as musician, bandleader, and composer. Paoli documents a historical moment in Latin jazz, celebrating the diversity of his Puerto Rican heritage and showcasing the rich talent of the new generation of musicians in Puerto Rico.
Musicians: Percussion Paoli Mejias, Alto Sax Miguel Zenon & Jonathan Suazo, Bass Alex Apolo Ayala & Aldemar Valentin, Piano Yan Carlos Artime, Cuatro Puertorriqueño Christian Nieves, Drums Raul Maldonado, Tenor Sax & Soprano Ricardo Pons, Soprano Sax Norberto Tiko Ortiz, Trompet Luis Aquino, Invited Vocalists NG2 Norberto Velez & Gerardo Rivas, Guitar Raul Romero, Vocalist & Percussion Amarilys Rios, Chorus Wichy Camacho, Yuba-Ire, Invited Percussionists Diego Centeno, Javier Oquendo, Jafet Murguia, Daniel Diaz, Invited Pleneros Tito Matos, Luis Lagarto, Johnsito Rivera, Eric Marrero, Charlie Pizarro, Yoksan Ramos
Dancers: Jenielys Villafañe Bultrón, Manuel Carmona, Vivian Ayala, Jhan Lee Aponte, Jorvian Santana
Production: Film & Sound by Javier Hernandez, Production Assistant Anilyn Diaz
Executive Producers: Paoli Mejias & Sarah Vogel
Recorded at Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico June 14-15, 2011
Independently produced by Paoli Mejias
NOTE OF APPRECIATION FROM PAOLI: To me this project represents the greatest demonstration of brotherhood among exceptional musicians and some extraordinary people. This experience was a fraternal embrace between a group of dear individuals who have been supporting me unconditionally since my first CD. Without them, I would not have been able to achieve what I have achieved up to now. They are witnesses of the great sacrifice we have undertaken in order to bring our music to this high level in a critical time for musicians and artists. It has been to contribute without expecting anything in exchange, in hopes that someday this moment here documented will have a historical value for the next generation. Being able to bring together on one stage a generation of young musicians who are the future of this music alongside other experienced and renowned veteran musicians made this concert a bond of camaraderie and humility which is what I want to endure in our island of Puerto Rico and the world. I express this with all my heart, that this was a unique moment of pure energy, but with a natural fluidity that clearly reflects an environment of peace, harmony and much happiness. This is the direct expression of our being when we do what we love with others who have the same passion for the music and life itself.
Lastly, I would like to thank all those who buy this original DVD. Thanks to the people who from my first CD Mi Tambor, followed by Transcend and then Jazzambia, and now this DVD, have preferred to buy the original product so that I can continue to offer my musical projects in the highest quality possible, all created and produced independently by me. It is for these individuals who have supported me until now that I have decided to produce this project exclusively in Blu-ray format and mixed in 5.1 Surround Sound; because you deserve the best. You demand quality each time you purchase my CD or DVD. For your support, here for you is the highest quality in images and sound, and most importantly music.
Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble – Blueprints (Chicago Sessions)
Darwin Noguera is a sublime talent. Not only does he have extraordinary technique, something he seems to have worked hard on, but he is brilliantly expressive and he has the dynamic that enables him to him to annunciate in various idioms and metaphors although his strongest is one with a heavy Latin underpinning—especially on this Big Band album, Blueprint, which he appears to have co-created with his alter ego, the trumpet playing Victor García. The pianist and the trumpeter might have made strange bedfellows were it not for the relationships already forged by the venerable Oscar Peterson and Dizzy Gillespie (Pablo Records, 1974). The one with Noguera and García might be longer-standing than that. Moreover, these two musicians write and arrange more like Lennon and McCartney than anyone else. And Blueprints contains some of the finest examples of this writing.
The bold, brassy pervasiveness of this band is replete with the muscular flexing not only of the burnished tones of the horns—the brass section has four trumpets and two trombones—but echoes with the valiant thunder of percussion as well. Although the forthright nature of the music is undiminished throughout and its existentialism is kept alive also by the steady throb of the electric bass, a certain softness does occur in the vocal chart that is gracefully negotiated by the clear and magnificent soprano of Nythia Martinez on “Timeless”, a chart that closes this fine album. However this is not before seven other majestic charts are worked over by some disciplined reading of melody, inventive harmony and the delicate persistence of the Latin beat.
Most of the writing may be attributed to García here, but Noguera has been known to contribute in large measure to the writing and certainly to the arrangement of the voicings as well. Both musicians may appear not to spend too much time on subtlety here, but this is probably deliberate. This is a collection of aggressive, bronzed charts and the clever use of the softer shades of the musical palette are used to enrich the tonal and timbral values of the music; to provide accents rather than to drive the beating heart of the compositions. A notable exception—in addition to “Timeless”, that is—might be Noguera’s “Milesmiles”, which is more than a clever play on Miles Davis’ path breaking eponymous album. Interestingly, the chart is a feature for the trumpet of García, but Noguera underpins the trumpeter’s bold insinuations with a gentle ebb and flow of musically harmonious waves to calm the fluttering melody.
The addition of Steve Turre on trombone, on “Captain Spok” and on shells on “Blueprints” is inspired. Turre brings his characteristic swelling tone, screeches and melodic smears to the charts and on the latter his vigorous harmonising on shells is spectacularly cast against the backdrop of Paoli Mejias’s robust showing on congas. This leaves the music of Blueprints, both the chart and the album to reverberate unforgettably long after the music is actually done.
Track Listing: Send Eggs; Milesmiles; Captain Spok; Vuelvo a Vivir; Blueprints; Bossa Pegajosa; Tierra; Timeless.
Personnel: Victor García: trumpet; Darwin Noguera: piano; Ernie Adams: drums (1, 3, 4, 6, 8); Tito Carillo: trumpet; Steve Eisen: baritone saxophone; Victor Gonzalez Jr.: congas; Roger Ingram: trumpet; Nythia Martinez: vocal; Rich Moore: alto saxophone (7), clarinet (7); John Mose: trombone; Juan Daniel Pastor: drums (2, 5, 7), cajón; Juan Picorelli: timbales; Joshua Ramos: electric bass; Freddie Rodriguez: trumpet; Craig Sunken: trombone; Greg Ward II: alto saxophone; Rocky Year: tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, flute; Juan Turros: tenor saxophone; Steve Turre: trombone (3), shells (5); Paoli Mejias: congas (1, 5); Ricky Luis: vocals (4); Neal Alger: electric guitar.
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Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble on the web: www.calje.org
Review written by: Raul da Gama
Paoli Mejias – Jazzambia – Recording Session
On this earthy and emotionally charged record, Jazzambia (2008), percussionist Paoli Mejias may appear to be showcasing his skills, but in actual fact, he is doing much more than that. He is actually setting out to draw a not-so-tenuous rhythmic line between the music of Africa and of Puerto Rico. In his own very personal vision of Puerto Rico the glue that binds this is European programmatic music and, of course, the African-American idiom of jazz.- Raul da Gama
Jazzambia is independently produced by Paoli Mejías. Featuring internationally acclaimed musicians: Miguel Zenón – Sax; Jaleel Shaw – Sax; Antonio Sánchez – Drums; Tony Escapa – Drums; Luis Perdomo – Piano; Hans Glawischnig – Bass; Paoli Mejías – Percussion & Chris Cheek – Sax; Christian Nieves – Cuatro / Puerto Rican Guitar; Rafael “Tito” De Gracia – Timbales; Ricardo Pons – Sax and Yan Carlos Artime – Chorus.
Photographs by Sarah Vogel
Paoli Mejias – Jazzambia (Paoli Mejias Records 2008)
On this earthy and emotionally charged record, Jazzambia (2008), percussionist Paoli Mejias may appear to be showcasing his skills, but in actual fact, he is doing much more than that. He is actually setting out to draw a not-so-tenuous rhythmic line between the music of Africa and of Puerto Rico. In his own very personal vision of Puerto Rico the glue that binds this is European programmatic music and, of course, the African-American idiom of jazz.
This is established right in the first track, “Diaspora,” which opens in a purely derivative Latin American context. Then as soon as he solos, the music breaks down into a richly crafted narrative meandering from African roots, through a fine European sensibility. Finally the music flows back into the Latin American metaphor, before a re-statement of the theme, but this time more robust and melodic, yet featuring a resolution of the African and the Latin American. Miguel Zenon states the European in an alto saxophone tone; Mejias rediscovers the African roots and then the wonderfully sensitive piano meandering of Luis Perdomo brings the song home to Puerto Pico in smart rhythm. And this is very much the case, only more traditional, on Nestor Toro’s track “Jibarology,” which features the electrifyingly colored cuatro work of Christian Nieves.
However there is much more to this record than the first two extraordinary tracks and Mejias takes the listener through them with a wonderful array of percussion from the African and the Brazilian to the Puerto Rican and also the American.
There is the beautiful ‘singing’ track, “Logos” and the oblique tribute to he bebop masters – “Fragment,” which features a rising star, Jaleel Shaw on one of the most lyrical alto saxophone excursions imaginable. Shaw returns to wax lyrical on “Sentimental Cha,” a swinging cha cha shuffle. And then there is the dynamic attack throughout, of Luis Perdomo, a direct musical descendent of the great Eddie Palmieri. Perdomo – true to his penchant for a percussive Latin attack creates an enormous swathe of rhythm around the melodic elements of his Latin signature and defines the musical thrust of the record.
And there are also some fine challenging rhythmic excursions where the musicians employ complex time signatures. Bassist Glawischnig’s “El Tintero” is a classic case in point, where this very mode can be seen in the energetic introduction of the song and then throughout the song.
Mejias also states in his dedication that he wanted to pay tribute to the powerful ancestors in his musical family. And if his intention was to praise the griot tradition, which he was born into then this record, with its rhythmic heart that beats around a rich tapestry of melodic and harmonic journeys, then Mejias has truly succeeded in creating a magnificent testament to his heritage.
Tracks: 1. Diaspora; 2. Jibarology; 3. Logos; 4. Fragment; 5. El Tintero; 6. Sentimental Cha; 7. Links; 8. Lo Cierto que es lo incierto; 9. Seres.
Personnel: Hans Glawischnig: bass; Luis Perdomo: piano; Antonio Sanchez: drums (1 & 2, 5 & 6 & 7, 9); Tony Escapa: drums (3, 4, 8); Miguel Zenon: alto saxophone (1 – 3); Jaleel Shaw: alto saxophone (5 & 6), soprano saxophone (7); Ricardo Pons: alto saxophone (8); Chris Cheek: soprano saxophones (9); Christian Nieves: cuatro/Puerto Rican guitar (2), guiro (2, 8); Rafael (Tito) De Gracia: timbal (4, 8); Yan Carlos Artime: chorus (4, 5); Paoli Mejias: all percussion and all percussion solos on all tracks.
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Paoli Mejias on the web: www.paolimejias.com
Review written by: Raul da Gama
