Latin Jazz Corner

Alex Garcia's AfroMantra "This Side of Mestizaje"

By Chip Boaz

The concept of mestizaje is intimately tied to the origin and ongoing history of Latin Jazz, a music that has evolved through decades of social and cultural blending.  In terms of South American culture, the idea of mestizaje has long been focused on the search for identity after a long history of racial blending and a forced merging of cultural ideals through Spanish and Portuguese colonization.  When we’re talking about Latin Jazz, the idea of mestizaje in music takes on a bit of a different slant, although the core foundation remains the same.  The blending of cultural ideals through music has been much less violent, but it has been completely ensconced in the search for identity.  Musicians have long taken cultural norms from African American jazz and blended it with musical elements from the Caribbean and South America, not to mention the influence of Western European classical and North American popular music.  It’s natural for musicians to navigate this clash of cultural norms; many of them face these issues socially on an everyday basis, so the inclusion of this struggle is normal.  While the presence of mestizaje in music is a natural evolution, what comes out on the other side is the extraordinary part; it’s the piece that defines the identity of the music.  Drummer Alex García and his group Afromantra explore the results of mestizaje in their music on their latest release, This Side of Mestizaje, with an open and largely exploratory set of music that finds the quartet traversing different musical elements with inspiring results.  

Several of the tracks make key connections to specific cultural influences, making strong references through musical elements.  An explosion of percussive intensity charges through the extended and choppy melody on “Mestizaje,” as García skillfully outlines the song’s main theme with an improvised combination of solo and accompaniment.  De La Portilla, Eckroth, Mathisen, and García playfully explore soloistic possibilities as they trade a wide range of ideas that flow directly into an attention grabbing improvisation from Eckroth, who sends melodies flying through an intensive 6/8 and a double time swing.  The texture thins to just Mathisen and García, who engage in a free form conversation that flows into the saxophonist’s statement over the full band which climaxes into an exciting rapid fire double time son montuno before García takes the spotlight with a burst of drum kit energy.  Eckroth and De La Portilla lay into a funk tinged vamp with a powerful forward motion as Mathisen plays long melodic notes on “Azúl Infinito,” changing the groove slightly for brief improvised interludes from García and the saxophonist.  There’s a cleverly syncopated six beat groove behind Eckroth’s solo, who lets the rhythm get increasingly complicated as he focuses on melodic elements to build an engaging statement.  The rhythmic backdrop changes one more time as Mathisen walks into his improvisation with lots of spacious ideas that build into an intensive barrage of notes that get a powerful dynamic boost from the rhythm section.  Aggressive unison band hits frame energetic improvised riffs from De La Portilla, Eckroth, and Mathisen on “Coltranesque” before the group jumps into a propulsive saxophone and keyboard melody that smoothly winds through the attacks.  De La Portilla displays some clever melodic development, evolving his initial ideas into full blown thoughts, followed by Eckroth, who charges through the modal structure with a ferocious set of quick runs and chordal attacks.  Mathisen grabs onto the energy displayed by his bandmates and storms through an inspired statement, until the group returns to a collection of unison hits while García builds a solo statement rich in thematic development.  Saxophone harmonics from Mathisen recall the folkloric sound of pan pipes on “Los Andes,” eventually giving way to a flowing melody over the rhythm section’s rotating mixture of unison attacks, uptempo songo, and half time 6/8.  García and De La Portilla settle into a steady 6/8 groove beneath Eckroth’s solo, letting the keyboardist playfully explore rhythmic ideas that touch on heavy syncopation, swing, and more.  Mathisen returns to his screeching harmonics as the band makes it’s way into a double time songo beneath the saxophonist, who lets loose with a blazing collection of quick lines that wrap all around the harmony.  While there’s certainly an original approach on these tracks, each one makes a definite connection to the tradition that inspired it.

Other tracks on the album indulge more deeply in the musical blend, exploring new horizons with strong improvisatory leanings.  Keyboardist Mike Eckroth noodles around his Fender Rhodes, leading into some improvised riffs from saxophonist Ole Mathisen over a freely interpreted six beat groove that leads into an assertive melodic line on “Believe.”  As the foundation solidifies into a defined Afro-Cuban 6/8, bassist Ariel De La Portilla, Eckroth, and Mathisen all trade solo ideas until Eckroth falls into an unaccompanied landscape of colorful harmony that sets the stage for his improvisation.  The keyboardist ends his solo by re-establishing the 6/8 feel with sharp chords as Mathisen jumps into an aggressive solo full of expressive tensions, followed by a smart rhythmic statement from García, who uses equal amounts of space and chops to relate his ideas.  Unison band hits frame a twisting melody on “11:11 Spirit” that winds through quick runs, angular lines, and brief improvised interludes over a groove that walks the line between funk and son montuno.  De La Portilla lays down sparse funk over García’s wide open cascara, providing a solid backdrop while Eckroth explores rhythmic possibilities and running lines on his Rhodes throughout a punchy improvisation.  Mathisen starts his solo with lots of space, listening and responding to the rhythm section, eventually building into a furious barrage of squelching notes that inspires an enthusiastic response from his bandmates.  A bass vamp from Eckroth is echoed by De La Portilla as the band joins for an interesting groove that takes a son montuno through its typical eight beat cycle and then a seven beat cycle beneath a wide open melody from Mathisen on “Landscape Of A Thought.”  Eckroth smartly structure the rhythm of his phrases around the switching time signature, which leads to some angular phrases, full of tension.  Mathisen rides the end of the bass vamp, proceeding to run phrases that start mid-vamp and float through the changing time signature with a smooth feel that sits just slightly askew to the groove.  De La Portilla and Mathisen nimbly play a rhythmic melody over spacious chords from Eckroth on “Purple Man” before García joins with a bubbly groove that plays off the melody’s syncopated attacks.  Mathisen improvises briefly with an understated sense of phrasing, before he goes full circle and joins De La Portilla for a return to the melody.  The rest of the short track belongs to Eckroth, who improvises strongly over the groove, using deliberate register changes, sharp syncopations, and a flowing sense of melody to make a defined statement.  We get a sense that each of these songs remain attached the traditions that inspired them, but there’s also a sense that these four musicians have molded their influences into something new.

García and Afromantra bring together a number of musical and cultural elements throughout This Side of Mestizaje, delivering a result that is a powerful musical element based upon a sound that is distinctly their own.  They navigate these different pieces by drawing upon traditional rhythms and melodic ideas, but actively avoiding the conventions surrounding them.  For example, Afro-Cuban rhythms are certainly apparent throughout the recording, but they don’t dictate the structure of the music.  García plays the rhythms with a sense of freedom, much in the same way that a modern jazz musician might freely interpret swing.  While he’s opening up the traditional rhythms, his band responds in a decidedly different way – De La Portilla doesn’t fall into a tumbao very often and Eckroth doesn’t regularly lay into a montuno.  Instead, De La Portilla might play a funk edged groove while Eckroth lays down wide open chordal pads.  The group goes beyond rhythmic alterations as well – the musicians have plenty of room to explore due to open harmonic structures.  The mellow quality of Eckroth’s Fender Rhodes, as well as Mathisen’s soprano sax also adds a distinct quality to the band’s sound.  There are a number of well-thought out elements in play through the album, but the result remains the same – the music becomes less of a slave to predetermined conventions, placing the emphasis upon the excellent improvisatory journeys of the band’s musicians.  Mathisen, De La Portilla, Eckroth, and García are all strong soloists, and they apply equal amounts of musicality as accompanists.  The beauty of the recording really comes from the interaction between these four fine musicians.  They know how to build a smart collective improvisation, working together to push an idea from it’s infancy to an explosive statement.  García and his band have put a lot of thought into their blend of cultural elements and it’s on display throughout This Side of Mestizaje, giving us an inspired recording that’s linked to tradition while remaining original artistically.

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