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Rifftides

Doug Ramsey on Jazz and other matters...

Monday Recommendation: Gabriel Alegría Sextet

Gabriel Alegría Afro-Peruvian Sextet 10 (Zoho)

Alegria 10 CoverTrumpeter Alegría’s resourceful band of Peruvians and New Yorkers (Newyoruvians?) continue to meld Latin and North American traditions. Their stimulating fifth album alternates between the continents and blends musics, including an intriguing combination of “Take Five” and “El Condor Pasa.” A blistering version of the traditional “Taita Guaranguito” and other tracks are pure Latin fire. A decade following their debut, the sextet’s success allowed Alegría to attract major artists to join in this demonstration of compatibility and versatility. Among them are bassists Ron Carter and Essiet Essiet, pianists Arturo O’Farrill and Russell Ferrante and tablas master Badal Roy. The repertoire includes the Peruvian and US anthems. Tenor saxophonist Laura Andrea Leguía finds a throbbing Latin vein in her solo on “The Star Spangled Banner.” Over a bed of insistent percussion, she and Alegría are haunting in Ornette Coleman’s “Lonely Woman.”

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Doug Ramsey

Doug is a recipient of the lifetime achievement award of the Jazz Journalists Association. He lives in the Pacific Northwest, where he settled following a career in print and broadcast journalism in cities including New York, New Orleans, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, San Antonio, … [MORE]

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