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Gabriel Alegría Afro-Peruvian Sextet: El Muki
by Jack Bowers
Heavy rhythms rule the day on El Muki, the seventh recording by composer, arranger and trumpeter Gabriel Alegria's Afro-Peruvian Sextet, one that marks the group's 20th anniversary in 2025 by blending impactful elements of Peruvian, African and American jazz into a wholesome and flavorful banquet designed to whet the appetite of jazz aficionados of all persuasions. El Muki, according to the notes, is “a mythical Andean elf, traditionally believed to protect miners in the Peruvian highlands." He ...
Continue ReadingGabriel Alegría Afro-Peruvian Sextet: Diablo en Brooklyn
by Chris M. Slawecki
Gabriel Alegría is proud of the first five recordings by his Afro-Peruvian Sextet, but he's more proud of his sixth, Diablo en Brooklyn, than the rest. First, it's his first Sextet release completely recorded in Peru. Second, it reprises in-concert versions of band originals released on previous albums plus a twelve-minute hothouse expedition through the Gershwins' “Summertime," interspersed with a four-movement “Brooklyn Suite" loosely based on the “Son de los Diablos" tradition where mock devils parade through the streets of ...
Continue ReadingGabriel Alegria Afro Peruvian Sextet: Ciudad De Los Reyes
by Skip Heller
Trumpeter Gabriel Alegria has all but issued a mission statement to establish and cultivate a Peruvian/jazz style. Unlike most styles of Latin music, like montuno-based Afro-Cuban and bossa nova, Peruvian music does not stem from the clave rhythm, but instead from 12/8 (or 6/8, depending on who is your resident self-proclaimed expert). In short, it's a three-against-four deal. The opening section of Chick Corea's “Litha" provides an easy American reference.Alegria's group has the typical trumpet/saxophone frontline, along with ...
Continue ReadingGabriel Alegria: Nuevo Mundo
by Elliott Simon
The latest buzz in New York City world music is jazz of the Afro-Peruvian variety. The newly opened Tutuma Social Club on 56th Street is slaking jazz's insatiable thirst for new symbiotic styles courtesy of musical director and trumpeter Gabriel Alegria. Nuevo Mundo has his sextet and an assortment of invited guests meeting the music head on, embracing its rhythmic complexity and focus on the cajon, a wooden box-like drum. Cajonistas, and Alegria has one of the best in the ...
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