Album of the Week: Waning Moon, Lucía Pulido

Waning Moon
Lucía Pulido
Adventure Music
Standing out among the current crowd of Latin Jazz musicians is not an easy task. The internet has opened our ears to a wide assortment of jazz musicians from around the world. We have choices about the Latin influence, instrumentation, and improvisational approaches that we want to hear. We’ve learned to sort through our infinite choices quickly; we simply discard the boring music and obsessively collect the outstanding recordings. The increased exposure has made us savvy listeners. We’re not easily impressed by musical novelties; we need musical integrity, authenticity, and an original voice. This is a tall order for any artist, but our standards have been raised. As a result, fewer artists catch our attention and they blend into the large, indistinct crowd of Latin Jazz available to us. Vocalist Lucía Pulido breaks through the crowd on Waning Moon, bringing her powerful voice and background in Columbian music into a variety of jazz settings.

Inspiring Duets With Bassist Takeishi
Pulido and bassist Stomu Takeishi explore several traditional songs in a duet setting, pushing each other into new creative directions. Takeishi begins “Yo No Tengo Quien Me Quiera” with an introspective bass solo, full of carefully shaped phrases and expressive lines. As Pulido enters on both voice and maraca, she adds a sense of beauty and elegance to the song with her deeply emotive interpretation. Takeishi takes a conversational approach to support, weaving melodic ideas, chordal passages, and rhythmic attacks between Pulido’s vocal; the results inspire chills at times. Pulido provides a rubato introduction to “Tonada De Luna Llena,” this time accompanying herself on cuatro. She soon creates gentle forward motion with a rhythmic pattern on the cuatro while her vocal creates a subdued feel. Takeishi unobtrusively supports Puldio, occasionally making his voice heard with quick fills. Pulido softly presents the melody on “Canto De Velorio” while Takeishi responds with melodic fills between vocal phrases. The power of Pulido’s voice quickly becomes apparent, as she leaps from a whisper to a roar, capturing an exhilarating emotional range. Takeishi takes center stage with a creative bass solo that explores a variety of colors and textures, truly exposing the artistic capabilities of the instrument. The interplay between Pulido and Takeishi on these tracks shows a conversational approach to improvisation that allows the musicians to shape the songs into powerful personal expressions.

Playing Off The Energy of the Full Band
Several other tracks utilize a full band, including multiple wind players, bringing a different set of results from Puldio. Clarinet player Adam Kolker announces the beginning of “Canoa Rancha’” with a long raspy note before moving into a rhythmic vamp. Pulido enters with a vocal line that alternates between an addictive rhythmic motion and a commanding presence that demands attention. Kolker begins his improvisation with short rhythmic phrases, building into longer melodic lines that scream with a sense of urgency. Baritone horn player Rafi Malkiel enters “Soplaviento” with an improvisational furry, trading short phrases with Kolker. Pulido boldly builds a vocal line around a powerful groove and unrelenting horn hits. Malkiel creatively manipulates the main theme into a rousing improvisation, followed by an inventive exploration of rhythmic displacement by drummer Ted Poor. Guitarist Sebastián Cruz establishes a subdued mood with soft finger picking on “María Que Iba En El Mar,” until Puldio’s intoxicating voice breaks the silence with a quiet strength. Malkiel’s trombone jumps into a rhythmic vamp that intertwines with Kolker’s flute, pushing the song into a forward motion. The band falls into an open space, filled with bursts of free improvisation from Takeishi. A powerful group movement builds the song back into an unstoppable force, driven by Pulido’s driven vocals, Malkiel’s brash trombone, and Kolker’s flute. These tracks provide an opportunity for Pulido to work around a full band; the original arrangements and strong performances make this setting ideal.

Blending Traditional Columbian Music With New Ideas
Pulido rounds out the recording with a collection of songs that find their basis in traditional Columbian music, but never hesitate to explore new territory. Cruz’s invitational strumming opens “El Rey Del Río,” leading into a finely crafted vocal from Pulido. Kolker moves between traditional lines woven into the arrangement and interesting variations that display his personality. The group again demonstrates their outstanding command over dynamics, as they all build the texture, bringing the song to an exciting climax. Takeishi creates a spacey texture with a combination of effects and bowing on “Zafra De Entierro – Grito De Monte,” soon giving way to a steady pulse from Poor. Pulido emanates strength through the power and drive of her vocal, complimented by a balance of refined technique and spontaneous emotion. The group takes an inspiring risk after Pulido’s vocal, letting the song move into a spacious free improvisation as the three musicians explore textural concepts. Kolker opens “Mi Mamá Me Ha Dicho” with a short improvisation on bass clarinet until Pulido’s vocal signals the top of the form. Pulido confidently moves through the melody, emphasizing rhythm in her phrasing as her voice reflects kindly against the rich tone of Kolker’s instrument. Kolker takes an ingenious solo here, using the deep tone of his instrument to play against the bass and add depth to simple variations of the main melody. Pulido shows a strong affinity for traditional Columbian music on these tracks, and the interaction with her band members reveals a willingness to look at the music through a jazz perspective.

Standing Apart From The Crowd
Pulido places her distinctive vocals in a variety of settings over the course of Waning Moon, ensuring a unique and substantial quality in her musical personality. Her vocal work throughout the album demonstrates a high level of musicianship, outstanding technical control, and an emotional range that provokes chills. Her voice excels in both intimate and bold, assertive settings. She finds a spiritual space through her collaborations with Takeishi; their improvisational exchange borders on telepathic and their ideas inspire beautiful responses. Her voice acts as a conductor in front of her highly responsive musicians, implying jumps between quiet, sensitive sections and assertive, brash ideas. The overall dynamic control of the group provides a sense of drama to the work, leaving the listener on the edge of their seat in anticipation of the next notes. The group displays an eager willingness to experiment at several points, moving into free improvisations and textural experimentations. Cruz provides a number of intriguing arrangements that help make the connection between tradition and contemporary jazz concepts. The use of traditional Columbian music throws the groups into largely unexplored Latin Jazz territory, and the results are inspiring. There’s a number of unforgettable and powerful moments throughout Waning Moon, ensuring that one listen will set Pulido apart from the crowd as an important Latin Jazz artist on today’s scene.

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