Caracoles / Akokán Orchestra

For us, creatures of Isla, it is easy to understand the meaning of 'snails'; it reflects the connotation of the water that "surrounds us everywhere", as the playwright and poet Virgilio Piñera said.

A second group, perhaps smaller, under the title of 'believers', a sinuous and ambiguous concept, will think of the religious connotation of the term. The 'conch shells' are important, their use as a ritual of interpretation and deduction of the future for religions of African descent.

But for the practitioners of the Regla Conga or Palo Monte, 'caracoles' has a deep and visceral meaning. This culture and religion, in the course of time, has been victim of stereotypes and marginalization, even in comparison with other cultural practices also coming from Africa.

Against the ethical and cultural assumptions born from Eurocentrism, this religion and its practitioners had to find ways to camouflage their beliefs in the Spanish language. Thus, when they spoke of 'caracoles', it had and has a shared meaning that, from the symbolic, refers us to the connection with the ancestral, the perpetual cycle of life, protection and rituality. Here is the profound significance of Snails as the title of this album.

The disc is opened by With LicenseThe introduction of the phonogram's musical and thematic concept is made clear, referring to the spirituality and cultural expressions of Afro-descendants. Rarely has the community belonging to the Regla Conga, of Bantu origin, been returned with such truth and pride, as evidenced in the interpretation of its leading voice.

The album's highlight is the homonymous theme, with an introduction inspired by the prayers of Cuban spiritualism, which leads into a congo tango. And it returns to the thematic dissertation of the black to the beat of cha cha chá, with makuta included. If you think that such a mixture is impossible, here it is, besides being danceable to the point of paroxysm.

The mambo Smooth Smoothwith a playful sense of scales, precedes the Cha cha cha cha Pa'caThe work features the powerful addition of the voice of Carolina Oliveros, a singer of Colombian descent and lead vocalist of the sui generis Combo Chimbita band.

Town crier joins the party as a hybrid of chachachá and, of course, pregón. Apology to survival from our insular choteo, where everything or almost everything can be (re)sold. Mentioning the Modern Yerbero by Néstor Milí Bustillo and to the Pa'que enamore (Lilies and sunflowers) by William Vivanco and Telmary Díaz, describes the commercial communication that comes to us in the voices of street vendors in Havana's neighborhoods.

Akokán, in its proposal, shows that there are no finished or immovable formulas and that it is possible to continue deepening in the complex musical framework of the island. It proves how, being faithful to the classic, it is possible to update themes and musical arrangements.

This album is indebted to the deep tradition of the jazzbands of the 40s and 50s of the last century in our country, as well as the way in which performers of both sexes assumed the different genres in vogue.

In a period of transition in which gradual changes and varied cultural borrowings took place, Cuban jazz bands fused elements of island music with genres and expressions of American music.

The influence was also reflected in the expansion of ensembles in general, composed of five and up to seven musicians, with a larger number of members and new instrumental approaches.

The presence of this type of orchestra and its fusion of styles influenced our music, which, as a result of the interaction between Cubans and Americans, enriched the musical scene and fostered creativity. It is the time of the visits to the island of artists such as Sarah Vaughan, Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Dorothy Dandridge, Josephine Baker, Billie Daniels and a long etcetera.

But the fusion between jazz and Afro-Cuban music was also consolidated in North America thanks to performers such as Chano Pozo, Mario Bauzá and Frank Grillo (macho); or the contributions of Peruchín Jústiz, Walfredo de los Reyes, Marcelino Valdés and Arístides Soto (Tata Güines). All this demonstrated the resilient capacity of our music and culture to adapt to change and maintain its vitality.

After 1959 this interaction was affected by the new context: the nationalization of the music industry and the breakdown of the political relationship with the United States. Another factor was the proliferation of the label "ideological diversionism" for anything that alluded to capitalist culture. Also from the 1960s and 1970s onwards, genres such as Nueva Trova emerged, exploring social and political themes and moving away from jazz influences.

In the following decades, the internationalization of son and timba allowed Cuban music to transcend borders and exponents such as Bebo Valdés, Chucho Valdés and his anthological Irakere, as well as the works of Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Mayra Caridad Valdés, Paquito D'Rivera, Ernán López-Nussa, Arturo Sandoval and other artists, have made Cuban jazz an essential part of the Cuban music scene. continuum in the contemporary musical context.

In the case of SnailsJacob Plasse, a guitarist and tres player from New York City who has been a member of several notable bands as well as a producer for Chulo Records, is an impressive level of musical direction. His passion for Latin music and his ability to fuse genres distinguishes him in the contemporary music scene.

Michael Eckroth, a renowned jazz pianist, arranger and composer from Phoenix, Arizona, plays a fundamental role in the Akokán Orchestra, as he is able to recreate from the stylistic structure a myriad of new forms in the field of brass and percussion. His work stands out in the field of Latin jazz. A graduate of the University of Arizona, master's degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and doctoral candidate at the University of New York, he received a scholarship to research Cuban music at the Díaz-Ayala Library at Florida International University.

Eckroth's arrangements fuse American heritage with Cuban influence; perhaps that's why it feels so organic in its assumption of that musical stage.

This duo succeeded in positioning their debut album Akokán Orchestra (Daptone Records, 2018) as nominated for the American Association of Independent Music's A2IM and Grammy Award in the category of Best Tropical Latin Album in 2019. Said phonogram had been recorded at Areito Studios in Havana, using 1950s sound techniques to highlight his distinctive style.

Another finding of Snails is the talent of Kiko Ruiz as lead vocalist. Warm and expressive, Ruiz allows us to find in his style echoes of Pérez Prado, Benny Moré, Pacho Alonso and Celia Cruz, among others. His passionate interpretation and his mastery of genres such as son, guaracha and bolero; as well as his professional career with Pancho Amat, the Buena Vista Social Club Stars, and as a singer, composer and arranger in the Orquesta María Alejandra and Cubanía, make him an indisputable reference in the Cuban music scene.

The album's compositions, signed by these three artists in their entirety, make mambo, chchachá and guaracha, beyond simple rhythms, vehicles for expressing the identity, passion and tensions of a society in constant change.

The trilogy by Plasse, Ruiz and Eckroth transports us to a Cuba between memory and longing, where the chords of yesteryear evoke a golden era and, at the same time, remind us of the struggles to come.

The communion between the voices and the rest of the sections of the orchestra stands out in this album, each one with its moment of brilliance; in addition to the excellent balance in the levels, accents and emphasis within the general sound design. Although Akokán starts from tradition, it is not limited to mere reproduction. The band creates a unique experience.

I hear Snails and I do not cease to feel Virgil when he thought of the Island ".above its music" Y "the water, the noon, the sugar, the smoke..."

Deep, brave and perfect "pa' jugar" sound.

*Listen to the complete album at Youtube.