Senegalese bassist/vocalist/composer Alune Wade erases genre boundaries on his new release, Sultan.
Out of Africa and Beyond
Raquel Z Rivera, Fidel González, and Arnaldo Acosta Coax Rain with Song
With New Mexico’s abundance of sun, heat, and wind, and its scarcity of water, agriculture here challenges even the most experienced farmers. They need all the help they can get. With her single “Tlalok San Ysidro” (available here), songwriter Raquel Z Rivera (vocals) offers a musical incantation for rain, with help from Fidel González (stringed concha, percussion, and vocals) and Arnaldo Acosta (percussion). This weekend, the song will be sung at the annual San Ysidro Day celebration, which blesses the acequias and invokes the help of San Ysidro Labrador, the patron saint of farmers, and his wife, Maria de la Cabeza, and the saint’s Mexica/Aztec counterpart, Tlalok, the spiritual energy that brings rain, and his wife, Chalchiuhtlicue.
Engine Performing in Albuquerque, Going Quieto, and Releasing ‘Fuego’ (updated 6/4 with new video links)
As Gil Scott Heron told us, the revolution will not be televised, but if the Franco-Argentinian trio Engine has its way, it will be danced. This coming Thursday, May 5, and Saturday, May 7, the trio—Alejandro Tomás Rodriguez (vocals, acoustic guitar), Robin Gentien (vocals, electric guitar, percussion), and Pierre Lauth-Karson (vocals, harmonica, keyboard, percussion)—will make their final U.S. performances at Fusion’s 708 performance space and Tumbleroot Brewery, respectively, before heading to Paris. There, they will kick off the summer season with a CD release concert for their forthcoming album, Fuego, which they will release under the band’s new name, Quieto.
A Tsunami of New Releases
A flood of new releases deserving attention is pouring in over the transom. To cover more of them, I’m keeping these reviews short and sweet. Here are several releases worthy of your attention, from Myra Melford’s new quintet; the quartet Kind Folk; the trio of Aaron Parks, Matt Brewer, and Eric Harland; and singer/songwriter Jason Tamba.
En la lucha with Omar Sosa, Seckou Keita, and Gustavo Ovalles—at the Outpost
The Suba Trio—Omar Sosa from Cuba (keyboards), Seckou Keita from Senegal (kora), and Gustavo Ovalles from Venezuela (percussion)—rolls into the Outpost for a two-night stand, riding on the wings of their second and profoundly beautiful album, Suba, the word for “dawn” in Keita’s native Mandinka language. They are on a mission.