Alex Garcia's AFROMANTRA - UPLIFTING SPIRIT (2006)

Exciting latest release from the groundbreaking NYC-based group AfroMantra, led by drummer/composer Alex Garcia

Ole Mathisen (Sax)

Pablo Vergara (Piano, Rhodes & Keyboards)

Waldo Chavez (Bass)

Aryam Vazquez (Perc)

Alex Garcia (Drums & compositions)

Guest musicians:

 Manuel Valera (Piano & Rhodes)

Desmar Guevara (Piano)

Jorge Fernando Rodriguez (Guitar)

Jorge Castro (Sax)

Jorge Bringas (Bass)

Yordamis Megret (Vocals)

Alex Garcia's AFROMANTRA Uplifting Spirit (2006) 01-The Uplifting spirit of our Soul

Alex Garcia's AFROMANTRA Uplifting Spirit (2006) 02-Cancion Latinoamericana

Alex Garcia's AFROMANTRA Uplifting Spirit (2006) 03-Luna y el Sol

Alex Garcia's AFROMANTRA Uplifting Spirit (2006) 04-A Emiliano Salvador

Alex Garcia's AFROMANTRA Uplifting Spirit (2006) 05-Por ti

Alex Garcia's AFROMANTRA Uplifting Spirit (2006) 06-Nuevo amanecer

Alex Garcia's AFROMANTRA Uplifting Spirit (2006) 07-Yemayà, Diosa del Mar

Alex Garcia's AFROMANTRA Uplifting Spirit (2006) 08-Suenos de Otono

Alex Garcia's AFROMANTRA Uplifting Spirit (2006) 09-Green Horizons

Alex Garcia's AFROMANTRA Uplifting Spirit (2006) 10-Lighting the world

Alex Garcia's AFROMANTRA Uplifting Spirit (2006) 11-Mi palabra

 

Review by Fabrizio Ciccarelli for WWW.VINILEMANIA.NET

A drummer influenced by not only the Caribbean style rhythms but also from the hardbop language style, Alex Garcia is the idea behind the Afromantra project, a band active and on the screen for a long time between the celebrated Study 54, Arka Lounge, the Jazz Gallery and the entire Newyork area. On a constant search for expression that seems to assume the shapes of a type of progressive spiritualism, with its aim to dynamically enrich ones mind with the groove, even explosive at times, and with his own musical choices, they place themselves under the spotlight of one of the more interesting ensembles in the Latin Jazz arena.

"Uplifting spirit" seems to be the culminating point of a logical journey which is yet both intentionally polyrhythmic and yet balanced, pursued with a fully thought out creative sense and the idea of a type of jazz full with movements that it has never been this eclectic.

Undoubtedly the influences of the Caribbean at times are quite dominant, for the rest Alex has lived in Cuba before actually reaching New York, and so therefore this flows powerfully through in his drumming as you may well experience in some of the tracks, emanating a pleasant sense of "positivity" it is in the more sensitive improvisations that there is a more rapid timing, almost like a chasing rhythm, be it in the poetically lyrical ballads, connoted from one intense sensitive, yet meditating demonstration. Afromantra finds Luc Delannoy in "A history of Latin jazz” in fact Afromantra are famous for "the combinations of harmonies, enriched from the sounds, and the powerful flavors of the America of the North and not forgetting those Latin flavors", they also are not subjected to limitations in the continental area.

Particular care and attention should also go to the participation of the saxophonist Ole Mathisen, even more effective when in the role of soprano (for an unsettling almost Coltranesque memory), like in the walking of the pianist and the keyboard player Pablo Vergara, great in weaving light and dark passages in the cantabile passages. Choices of agreements and phrasing from the impalpable and creating a vibratious spirituality; in not such a distant sense, to who writes it, from the style flowing and formally rigorous of a certain McCoy Tyner.

The performances of the band are described like experiences dragged from the public, being involved and distant from every possible cliché. The topics often come supported from one written harmonic progression from a collective that, is in a position of, supplying rich sounding melodic invention: the harmony on the inside of the band seems such that it supports with amazing simplicity, and at times, a multicolored climate alternation expressions.

The identity of the group appears strong, and you don’t notice cloudiness in the vein solos of the musicians, whose ideas seem not at all confused: their interpretational ability moves with a liveliness and surprising readiness, with pleasant spontaneity, without particular virtuosity but with a meaningful common denominator... the mystical formula of the request, the instrument of the thought in the “Brahmanism”, the Mantra, it certainly does not seem a word chosen by chance, at all...

 

Recensione di Fabrizio Ciccarelli per WWW.VINILEMANIA.NET

Batterista influenzato tanto dai ritmi caraibici quanto dal linguaggio hardbop , Alex Garcia è l’ideatore del progetto Afromantra, band attiva da tempo tra il celebre Studio 54, l’Arka Lounge, il Jazz Gallery e l’intera area newyorkese, alla costante ricerca di un’espressività che sembra assumere le forme di uno spiritualismo progressivo, intendendo arricchire l’animo con il groove dinamico, talora esplosivo, delle proprie scelte musicali, ponendosi in luce come uno degli ensemble più interessanti nell’àmbito del Latin jazz.

“Upliftingspirit” sembra essere il punto d’arrivo di un percorso filologico dominato da un’intenzionalità poliritmica ed equilibrata, perseguita con deciso senso creativo e con l’idea di un jazz dalle movenze quanto mai eclettiche.

Indubbiamente le influenze del Caribe a volte risultano dominanti, del resto Alex ha vissuto a Cuba prima di giungere a New York, e fluiscono possenti nel suo drumming così come negli arrangiamenti di molti brani, emanando un piacevole senso di “positività” sia  nelle improvvisazioni più sensibili ad un timing rapido,  incalzante quasi, sia nel lirismo delle ballads, connotate da una sensibilità espositiva intensa e meditante.  Rileva Luc Delannoy in “Una historia del jazz latino” quanto gli Afromantra siano celebri per “le combinazioni di armonie arricchite dai suoni e dai sapori potenti dell’America del Nord e di quella Latina”, e non solo nell’area continentale.

Di particolare spessore appaiono gli interventi del sassofonista Ole Mathisen, ancor più efficace quando al soprano (per un’inquietitudine quasi di coltraniana memoria), così come il walking del pianista e tastierista Pablo Vergara, bravo nel tessere andamenti chiaroscurali nei cantabili, nelle scelte di accordi e fraseggi  dall’ andamento impalpabile, vibrante di spirituale creatività; in tal senso non distante, a parere di chi scrive, dallo stile fluente e formalmente rigoroso di un McCoy Tyner.

Le performances della band vengono descritte come esperienze trascinanti per il pubblico, coinvolgenti e  distanti da ogni cliché. I temi spesso vengono sorretti da una progressione armonica scandita da un collettivo in grado di fornire trame sonore ricche d’invenzione melodica: l’affiatamento all’interno della band sembra tale da sostenere con semplicità talora sorprendente la variegata alternanza di climi espressivi.

 L’identità del gruppo appare forte, non si notano appannamenti nella vena solista dei musicisti, le cui idee sembrano tutt’altro che confuse: la loro capacità interpretativa si muove con vivacità e prontezza esecutiva, con piacevole spontaneità ,senza particolari virtuosismi ma con un significativo denominatore comune…la formula mistica dell’invocazione, lo strumento del pensiero nel Brahamanesimo, il Mantra, che non sembra affatto parola scelta a caso…

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