Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Quetzal: Sing The Real

95

Quetzal: Sing The Real

By

View read count
Quetzal: Sing The Real
The Los Angeles, CA-based nonet, “Quetzal” (the ancient Quetzal bird that continually resisted captivity) brings its distinct flavor of Afro-Chicano type musings to the forefront on Sing The Real. Maybe the elusive nature of the bird typifies the non-conforming demeanor of this band’s alchemistic blend of rock, jazz, and Latin genres, along with a few Mexican serenade type interludes. From the onset of the opener titled “The Social Relevance Of Public Art,” the violinists’ render sonorous and somewhat impacting choruses. Here, I was thinking that we had an Afro-Cuban version of the “Mahavishnu Orchestra” on our hands, yet lo and behold they segue into a basic rock groove complete with the percussionist’s Latin-tinged exchanges. The band engages in tempered funk motifs atop dashes of soul and the vocalists’ celebratory choruses on “20 Pesos” and other numbers.

These folks are most effective at intertwining disparate styles into their repertoire as they also touch upon contemporary jazz and pop, amid all of the Latin-derived stylizations. But it’s the ensemble’s charming characterizations and unwavering artisanship that provides the winning edge. Recommended.

Vanguard Records

Track Listing

1.The Social Relevance Of Public Art 2.Cenzontile 3.20 Pesos 4.Desahogate 5.Emotions 6.Mia 7.Pesadilla 8.Vagabundo 9.Mayahuel 10.Jaroacho Elegua 11.Matanzas

Personnel

Martha Gonzalez: lead vocals, congas, zapateado

Album information

Title: Sing The Real | Year Released: 2002 | Record Label: Vanguard Records

Tags

Comments

About Quetzal

Articles | Concerts | Albums | Photos | Similar

PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.