My Roots and Beyond

Amazon.com
In My Roots and Beyond, trombonist, composer, and arranger William Cepeda--member of the royal family of Puerto Rican traditional music--blends jazz and bomba y plena (Afro-Puerto Rican styles) with remarkable ease, grace, and power. Cepeda is part of a generation of Latin players who bring their indigenous rhythms and styles into jazz, thereby creating a truly Pan-American Latin jazz. His opening "Bomba Swing" sets the tone with smooth lines (which at times seem to evoke "Summertime") over an implacable, rolling bomba groove. The arrangements are smart and richly layered. The playing is intense and precise, and throughout the music sounds fresh, rich with unexpected references and subtle surprises. "Pa' Mi Cuembe" features a rockish guitar solo and a '70s electric piano; Yomo Toro, the master of the Puerto Rican cuatro--a small, guitarlike instrument--makes an impressive guest appearance on "Ponte Pa'l Monte." "Quasi Plena," based on a traditional plena, includes dense big-band writing, a Weather Report-style piano break, and flat-out swing, and "Sara," a Puerto Rican danza, is revamped with surprising verve and humor--and it cooks. My Roots and Beyond is a marvelous surprise by an artist who bears watching as he further develops his vision. Fernando Gonzalez

Tracks:

Bomba Swing
Ponte Pa'l Monte
Pa' Mi Cuembe
Waiting For Carmen
Toca Mi Caracol
Quasi Plena
For Now And Forever
Sara
Pa' Mi Gente
Colors
Afrorican Jam

Amazon.com

In My Roots and Beyond, trombonist, composer, and arranger William Cepeda--member of the royal family of Puerto Rican traditional music--blends jazz and bomba y plena (Afro-Puerto Rican styles) with remarkable ease, grace, and power. Cepeda is part of a generation of Latin players who bring their indigenous rhythms and styles into jazz, thereby creating a truly Pan-American Latin jazz. His opening "Bomba Swing" sets the tone with smooth lines (which at times seem to evoke "Summertime") over an implacable, rolling bomba groove. The arrangements are smart and richly layered. The playing is intense and precise, and throughout the music sounds fresh, rich with unexpected references and subtle surprises. "Pa' Mi Cuembe" features a rockish guitar solo and a '70s electric piano; Yomo Toro, the master of the Puerto Rican cuatro--a small, guitarlike instrument--makes an impressive guest appearance on "Ponte Pa'l Monte." "Quasi Plena," based on a traditional plena, includes dense big-band writing, a Weather Report-style piano break, and flat-out swing, and "Sara," a Puerto Rican danza, is revamped with surprising verve and humor--and it cooks. My Roots and Beyond is a marvelous surprise by an artist who bears watching as he further develops his vision. Fernando Gonzalez

Customer Reviews:

A Wonderful Listening Experience!.......1999-10-31

I had the pleasure of hearing William Cepeda and AfroRican Jazz play at a local college cultural diversity fest(10/29/99). The group played mostly songs from this CD. I bought the CD after hearing them perform the first song! The songs are very moving and spiritual. You can feel the blood running through your body, only it's to the beat of the music! Cepedas music direction is phenomenal! The percussion(drums) and bass really come through with a strong rythem that will get your whole body moving. The drummer Andreas Patrick Forrero, who was with AfroRican Jazz at the college diversity fest, was by far the best drummer I ever had the pleasure to hear play! Kudos Patrick. I must add that it was a pleasure to personally meet Cepeda and AfroRican Jazz. They were warm friendly, and inviting... like a friend you had known forever. Cedpeda and the band graciously signed autographs and talked with the audience members. I even got a hug from the drummer(Patrick, thanx!). If you are a true lover of music, this is a must buy!

A Study in Contrasts.......1999-04-12

William Cepeda has come out with two new CDs on the Blue Jackel label which show, by their differences, the skill and flexibility of this fine Puerto Rican trombonist.

The first, "Bombazo" by el Grupo Afro Boriqua is pure percussion driving African call-and-response singing and chants. We are treated to a glimpse of African Puerto Rico that we don't often get to hear, though the Plena and Bomba rhythms provide the bases of the music. "Bombazo" evokes images of a drum circle, playing, singing and dancing under the palms which provide shade from the tropical sun. The strong African sound is tempered only by the Spanish of the lyrics as the singer chants out a line and the coro responds in unison or simple harmony. Very beautiful...

"My Roots and Beyond" by William Cepeda and Afrorican Jazz is much much more cerebral than the physical "Bombazo". We get the Nuyorican perspective of the mainlanders, "Beyond" plays a bigger part than "My Roots". Many of the same rhythms drive the music, but there the similarity ends. This is a jazz album, players in dark glasses late at night, after hours, hip, urban, cool. Horns work together in complex harmonies and apart on soaring solos. Trap drums and electric guitar provide the rhythmic underpinning. Synthesisers and Miles Davis give as much to this music as the transplanted African rhythms of la isla. Very beautiful...