To celebrate two decades of the Afro Peruvian Sextet, the group has chosen to embrace the spirit of El Muki, a mythological figure and protector of miners who also punished those overcome by avarice. That sense of duality fits well with the sextet’s sound; a melding of NY street jazz and Latin American rhythmic sensation.
With songs generally written by trumpeter Gabriel Alegria or sax player Laura Andrea Leguia, those instruments tend to be at the forefront, but they are only a part of a series of ever-evolving soundscapes which with the wonderfully sinuous Mario Cuba on bass and Hugo Alcazar on drums with Freddie Lobaton adding percussion really swing.
They also aren’t afraid to allow a little progression into their sound, with the Santana-like guitar and repetitive trumpet motifs of opener “El Muki” embracing a joyful awakening. The sweet melody and roaring sax are borne by an exuberant rhythm with just a subtle twinkling of guitar for good measure. The album is beautifully produced and with nine long pieces recorded, each of the players and their integral input is clearly heard, batons being passed like hot cakes as the irrepressible rhythm moves on.
Although the pieces are written by the the primary players, their generosity of spirit allows a cohesive whole all the way through the album, from the trumpet-led journey of “Panabe” with its guitar echoes and sense of untrodden territory, to the more delicate and joyous “Vista Panoramica”, where you really sense what the different textures of drums and percussion.
A cello adds some unexpected melancholic gravitas to “Ausencia”, which perhaps goes some way to highlighting that not everything can always be rosy and there is still sadness to be found. This impression lasts for a while, but does not fully infuse; and after a while the others start to expand on the theme, allowing a little light to shine through.It is impossible to ignore the sultry groove of “La Zafra” and the slashing ’80s guitar and ghostly stars of trumpet are interspersed by a voice that just can not contain its enthusiasm. It is an enthusiasm that is infectious, though tempered towards the end by the slower, more repetitive “Despertar”, that feels like an awakening lullaby.
By the time they have worked their curious tribal magic on a version of The Police‘s “Walking On The Moon”, the Afro Peruvian Sextet have us in the palms of their hands. Twenty years on and still fresh as a daisy and full of ideas. Here’s to another twenty.-Mr Olivetti-
