ALEX “APOLO” AYALA & THE BÁMBULA PROJECT

AFRO PUERTO RICAN JAZZ

Miel Music

Alex “Apolo” Ayala, bass; Fernando Garcia, drums; Victor Pablo Garcia, percussion; Nelson Matthew Gonzalez, requinto drum; Andrew Gould, alto and soprano saxophones.

The Alex “Apolo” Ayala music rumbles with percussive drive. His Bámbula Project members are vibrant and bring exciting Afro-Puerto Rican energy to this project, almost entirely composed by acclaimed bassist, “Apolo” Ayala.  On the first tune, “Rio Piedras” Ayala takes a stunning solo on his bass.  The drummers, Nelson Matthew Gonzalez, Fernando Garcia and percussionist Victor Pablo Garcia move this music into the atmosphere with their rhythmic beats and brilliant mastery of the various drum instruments, including the Gonzalez requinto drum that is prominent in this arrangement. Andrew Gould, on saxophone, weaves the melody in and out of these complex rhythms with improvised beauty and finesse.

On Track two, part of the Agonia three-part Suite, Ayala’s bass establishes the tempo and key. When Gould enters on saxophone he sings unison with the bass. This part of the suite is titled, “Reckoning.” The drums lend their traditional innovation to illustrate connections between Afro-Puerto Rican music and mainstream jazz.

With no piano or guitar in the rhythm section, this music reflects a fluttering freedom. Andrew Gould makes me see an imaginative vision of wild geese wings beating against a windy sky when his soprano saxophone solos.

The second part of this Agonia Suite is “Hopelessness.” It’s a dirge-like ballad, with Ayala’s bass creating a guitar-like rhythm beneath Gould’s mournful saxophone solo.  When the bass steps into the spotlight, he pours his heart and soul into his solo. The action moves from slow-walking steps into fast-moving fingers across the double bass strings.  Ayala shows off his mastery of the bass instrument. He is also a brilliant composer, as witnessed by nine songs he contributed to this album.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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