Afreecanos
Omar Sosa
Otá Records
Forward thinking Latin Jazz moves into the world in a fashion similar to the growth of a tree, starting with its roots and reaching high into the air. The roots represent the music’s heritage; they are both the tree’s starting point and its foundation. Without firm roots sunk deep into the ground, the subsequent growth can’t hold the weight of the musical concept; it simply falls to the ground. The trunk represents the musician’s strongest connection to their roots. The musician’s background shapes their musical concept; it serves as their core and the strongest piece of their tree. The branches reach away from the tree, exploring the world; these pieces represent the musician’s experimentation with new approaches. Each branch holds it’s own shape and form, just like new music. Some branches stay firmly attached to the tree for years, while others fall to the ground, relating to the artist’s successful attempts and their failures. Omar Sosa brings together a strong vision on Afreecanos, solidly representing the growth of his musical concept.

A Foundation in African Music and Culture
Several songs represent Sosa’s roots in African music, forming the foundation of his musical concept. Fanta Cissoko’s passionate vocals open “Nene La Kanou” on an intoxicatingly personal note. As the supporting instruments slowly enter behind her, traditional African instruments blend with Cuban batá, creating a sympathetic and peaceful sound. Sosa displays his gift for melodic invention during his solo, constructing his statement both around his ideas and the textures that support him. The intriguing sound of the ngoni accompanies Mola Sylla’s vocals on “Mon Yalala,” soon joined by other traditional African instruments such as kalimba and balafon. Sosa explores melodic ideas around the vocal, eventually taking a spacious solo that blends into beauty of the texture. As a bamboo flute creates a series of short lines, a soft voice chants in the background, complimenting the song’s overall feel. A lone marimba opens to a sparse vocal over Sosa’s piano and several African percussion instruments on “Babalada,” which slowly builds to include a kora, flute, and trumpet. The wind players twist through the jagged melody and percussive breaks, leading into Sosa’s insightful solo. The extended improvisation grows in strength, eventually transitioning into a rich conversation between vocal, flute, and trumpet. Each song establishes a solid foundation with African roots, grounding Sosa’s music with a powerful heritage.

A Strength In Afro-Cuban Styles
Other pieces utilize Sosa’s strong core background in Afro-Cuban rhythms, simultaneously building upon his roots and exploring other concepts. Based upon Cuba’s danzón tradition, “D’Son” opens with a stylistically typical melodic line before falling into a more open feeling. The rhythm section returns to the rhythmic outline of a cha-cha-cha behind Leandro Saint-Hill’s flute solo, implying the style but never strictly conforming to its norms. Sosa’s improvisation builds into a unique statement, reflecting his visionary connection between jazz, Afro-Cuban tradition, and self-expression. “Tumborum” presents a common rumba introduction, leading into a blend of talking drums, funk rhythms, and jazz-informed melodies. Sosa’s composition evolves through angular melodies, a recurring rumba, and a cha-cha-cha rhythm. He builds an exciting solo, increasing tension through rhythmic ideas and maintaining a conversation with drummer Julio Barreto. A sparse bass line supports delicate vocals over Barreto’s implied cha-cha-cha rhythm on “Iyade.” Sosa transitions into a thoughtful solo, carefully developing his ideas into a complete statement. The rhythm section builds into a full cha-cha-cha rhythm for a vocal coro-pregón section that grows into a powerful ending. Sosa’s overall concept finds its strength in Afro-Cuban music, serving as the strong connector between history and development in his overall artistic vision.

Blending Cultural Elements and Improvisatory Ideas
Other compositions reach out into the air, representing Sosa’s experimentations with different combinations of musical elements. Slide guitar sounds recall Delta blues until a full horn section explodes into a fusion feel on “Ollú,” Sosa’s dedication to the Santeria orisha Ochun. A combination of Barreto’s rhythmic invention and African percussion instruments support Sosa’s solo, which creates an introspective feel. Vocals move into the forefront, singing with a passionate conviction before the fusion feel returns to close the song. Vocalist Graca Onasile dedicates her vocal to both the Santeria orisha Yemaya and the world’s mothers on “Light In The Sky.” The combination of Sosa’s chordal colors, a kalimba, and bassist Childo Tomas’ melodies paints a rich texture based upon subtlety. Sosa’s improvisatory voice engages Onasile in a call and response, guiding the compositions back into more praise for Yemaya. A pained and sorrowful voice questions the untimely death of Sosa’s close friend and musical partner Miguel Angá Diaz on the highly personal “Why Anga?” A vocal humbly calls to Diaz over a relaxed and simple, yet spiritual texture. As the song progresses, a free improvisation between several instrumentalists steers the song’s search for peace and resolution, communicating a spiritual journey. Sosa’s ability to blend cultural elements and improvisatory ideas into larger statements brings his concept into full bloom.

A Powerful Story and Fluid Connections
Sosa fully grows his music from its African roots into a wide reaching and culturally comprehensive collection of concepts on Afreecanos. His use of musicians from a variety of African regions combined with both Caribbean and American artists brings a wide range of cultural perspectives into the music. Sosa’s compositions boldly combine these perspectives into a sympathetic whole that respects difference while highlighting similarities. Sosa takes the opportunity to improvise with these musicians, but his prodigious piano skills never overwhelm the broader concept. The album remains more about the connections between cultural traditions and communication of this ideal through music. Sosa finds natural intersections between the musical traditions, refraining from forced references and relying upon each traditions link back to African roots. His extensive use of vocalists singing in several languages reinforces the bi-lingual nature of Africa’s extended diaspora and creates a human connection. In every way, Sosa tells a powerful story about the growth from roots to branches that reach into the world and the fluid connection that eternally exists between them.

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