Photos/Writer: Rudy Lu
Alias Coffee has become known as the intimate loft like listening space in Troy. The niche this venue has occupied has been stretched to world music albeit with heavy jazz influences with this concert.
Heard
Elizabeth Woodbury Cassius ‘s Heard world music ensemble has just returned from performing in Ghana. Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet promotes Afro Peruvian music with a jazz flair. This is the music passed down from the slaves imported from West Africa that worked in Peru.
Heard was truly inspired by the daily life they witnessed on Ghana, especially the marketplace. They opened with “Market Song”, a composition that was a musical pastiche of the marketplace.The rest of their set included music in some of the tribal languages of Ghana or original compositions based on this music or other highly rhythmic music. Featured music was from their latest cd, “Fly Away”. Zorky Nelson, Felix Nelson were on percussion and Brian Melick was on drums. Felix also danced. Bobby Kendall provided a melodic bass. Elizabeth played keyboards. The horn section was handled by Jonathan Greene on clarinet and Laura Andrea Leguia on saxophone.Laura was the link between both these band.She played saxophone on both.
Gabriel Alegria’s Afro Peruvian Sextet
Gabriel Alegria’s Sextet has had a long list of musicians that have been part of this project since its inception. They may not be necessarily but Peruvian familiar to jazz aficionados. Ariacne Trujillo is well known in the Afro Cuban jazz world.
This edition is a sextet is led by founder/namesake on Gabriel Alegria on trumpet, Laura Andrea Leguia (saxophone, composer), Hector “Jereto” Ferreya (percussion), Ariacne Trujillo, Hugo Akcazar(drums), Mario Cuba (drums) and Arturo Valdez (bass).
Without much explanation, the sextet started with the George Gershwin song, “Summertime”. Gabriel’s wailing trumpet and the percussion made the Latin influence on their interpretation obvious.Laura’s saxophone added to the atmosphere. The music went directly into Laura’s composition “Amaranta”.
There were some explanations of how some American Songs worked well in the Afro-Peruvian style. There would be more examples.
The set ended with Laura’s composition “Carrusel de Luces”(Carousel of Light). This was like a musical moving picture of a carousel. Truly a tone poem. This song was a Latin Jazz Song of the Year.
Some of the percussion used throughout the concert is unique to Afro Peruvian music. The cajita is a miniature version of the cajon hand drum that the musician sits on and plays. A quijada is a rattle made of the jawvbone of a donkey.
The second set opened with “My Favorite Things’. Although Laura played a soprano sax, this was not a copy of Coltrane’s version of the Broadway song. It stood on its own. Gabriel added his trumpet both in unison and then harmony. Ariacne joined in by singing the words, the lyrics were clearly annunciated and understood like a recital.
A medley of Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” and the Simon/Garfunkel hit “El Condor Pasa” (Andean derived) followed.
The concert ended with “La Puertecita”, Laura’s composition.
This was truly an interesting evening of music we do not hear much of in the 518.
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