Alex García's AfroMantra "This Side of Mestizaje"
2014
by John Murph "Jazz Times"
Drummer extraordinaire Alex Garcia deftly balances finesse and fire on this delightful modern-jazz outing. From the very start of the opening cut, “Believe,” it’s obvious that the Chilean-born drummer has virtuosity to spare—check out his precise, intricate cross rhythms between snare, toms and cowbells. But he brings a light touch to the music that enables listeners to focus on the bracing melodic contours of the song, animated by Ole Mathisen’s soprano saxophone and Mike Eckroth’s smoldering Fender Rhodes fills.
From there, the band launches into a solid set of Latin-fusion tunes, loaded with quick, complicated rhythmic turnarounds and propulsive grooves. Bassist Ariel de la Portilla helps Garcia steer the quartet with a fleet pulsation on top of which Mathisen and Eckroth trade adventurous improvisations.
With strong echoes of Weather Report and Yellowjackets—particularly on the soaring “Mestizaje” and the evocative “Landscape of a Thought”—Garcia’s AfroMantra extends the great legacy of Latin-infused jazz-fusion. With more collective and compositional growth, the band could become as singular as its lodestars.
Alex García's AfroMantra "Uplifting Spirit"
2007
By Chuy Varela
I smile every time I hear Alex Garcia play his drums. Drawing from Caribbean, South American, hardbop jazz with a strong Afro Cuban influence, he has developed a polyrhythmic balance on trap set full of passion and skill. With his band Afromantra, he has formed a vehicle of expression for the ideas burning within his creative soul.
I've always believed that life and its experiences, along with a well-rounded education, is what give identity to an artist. That is certainly true of Alejandro. In 1973, along with his family he had to leave his home country of Chile moving to Peru. In 1979, the family moved to La Habana, Cuba; the place where he received a profound musical education. However, it was in New York City that he was born as an artist. Since the release of Afromantra's debut album in 2000, Garcia has established a firm reputation as a drummer and bandleader with his Latin jazz ensemble. Strong, confident and positive, he's paid dues and gleaned knowledge from the masters. Now on "Uplifting Spirit – Espíritu Optimista" he brews a diverse blend of cultural herbs to create good musical medicine for trying times.
All the compositions and arrangements are by Garcia with a great cast of collaborators. Ole Mathisen is a seasoned and imaginative voice on tenor and soprano saxophones who provides many bright moments throughout. The pianists, Pablo Vergara, Manuel Valera, and Desmar Guevara, add extraordinary harmonic colors to the pieces. And you can't ignore congero Aryam Vásquez and bassist Waldo Chavez who ground the combo. "Uplifting Spirit - Espíritu Optimista" is an entrancing album full of sonic magical realism. The pieces traverse ideas and moods that stretch from one end of the hemisphere to the other taking the listener with facility and imagination through unlikely plots and connections. Yes, Alex Garcia has given us a gift that's positive, uplifting and got me smiling from ear-to-ear. Good medicine for trying times.
AfroMantra "Alignment"
2003
By Luc Delannoy
“Rhythm will save the world! If you don’t believe it, listen to AfroMantra, one of the best Latin jazz bands in the New York scene. Period. Their second album, Alignment has enough to produce climatic changes and to defy gravity in all its forms.
Lead by Chilean-Cuban drummer Alex Garcia, this powerful band with a quasi-mystical drive mixes bop and post bop with stirring Afro-Cuban rhythms. It took Garcia vision, commitment and several years of hard work to develop AfroMantra own sound and now they came up with this brilliant recording. Musicians are exuberant and generous; where the music is, they are. Those who feel they’ve spent too much time in the province of musical boredom will be delighted and captivated by Alignment, its strong material, its intricate figures and inspiring harmonies”.
AfroMantra "Latin Jazz Ensemble"
2000
By Danilo Navas
A very promising outfit, AfroMantra is a refreshing addition to the music scene in New York City, where this Latin jazz quintet is based. These guys have been doing their homework, their playing is really tight and very much in clave. This is their first self-produced CD, recorded live at SoundArt Studios, in Jersey City. The musicianship of AfroMantra's members evidences itself through the original pieces that make up this release. All compositions are penned by Alex García and Pablo Gil -all except tracks 5 and 10. They transform John Coltrane's "Like Sonny" and Thelonius Monk's "Evidence," infusing them with a new spirit. Highly skilled young lions, Afromantra's building a following and a good reputation in the Big Apple. As soloists, they know how to play their parts without overwhelming the others, presenting an exciting work of ensemble.