DARRYL YOKLEY’S SOUND REFORMATION

UN MUNDO EN SOLEDAD

Truth Revolution Recording Collective & D-Yokes Records

Darryl Yokley, tenor & soprano saxophones/bass flute/Aztec death whistle; Zaccai Curtis, piano/Fender Rhodes; Luques Curtis, bass; Wayne Smith, drums; SPECIAL GUEST: Little Johnny Rivero, percussion. SPOKEN WORD VOICES: Alfonso Cayón, Sumire Yokley, Zeni, Phineas Curtis, Valentina Cayón & Miriam Zavala.

Darryl Yokley explained the reason for this awesome album that celebrates author Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

“I read “Cien Anos de Soledad” for the first time in high school. … I could tell this work by Gabriel Garcia Marquez was a very special work of literature. … While it would be impossible to narrate every occurrence of the novel in sound, I have opted to highlight occurrences in a loose chronological sequence that I feel encapsulates the essence of the novel.  It is my hope that much like the novel, the listener will become immersed in this magical world where the extraordinary becomes the ordinary,” said Darryl Yokley in his liner notes.

A voice speaks to us in Spanish, intertwined like a Mexican coral vine into Yokley’s saxophone solo during the first and second album tunes. “Un Mundo En Soledad” is a beautiful ballad showcasing Yokley’s tenor saxophone. With this new music, Yokley channels his Mexican American and African American mixed heritage into arrangements that reflect the Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel.  Performed before a ‘live’ audience, he captures the applause and appreciation from the people attending his concert.

Pianist, Zaccai Curtis, shares an exuberant and exciting solo on the tune “Macondo.”  Yokley plays soprano sax on this original tune with Little Johnny Rivero adding percussion excitement to the mix, along with Wayne Smith steady on drums.  The various songs melt into each other, held together with Latin spunk and fervor.  “El Pueblo” has a very folksy, warm and appealing melody. It is based on the Colombian genre of music referred to as vallenato.

“Los Matrimonios Malditos” is festive.  It’s a tune that lifts the spirits and inspires a celebration. I wish I spoke and understood the Spanish language so that I could understand the continuous monologue that winds like a ribbon through these tunes.  I think these voices are very important to this project. I wish a translation had been included in the CD package.  I assume they are reading lines written by Marquez.

I must let the music speak for itself.  Luques Curtis impresses me with a spirited, rhythmic bass solo on this Matrimonios Malditos arrangement. Afterwards, the drums soak up the spotlight.

Darryl Yokley’s Sound Reformation group is a tightly packaged group of musicians who are obviously comfortable and close to their fellow players. There is a feeling of purpose and camaraderie on this album. Yokley has composed all the music. I truly enjoyed the way he combined the blues with Latin traditional rhythms on “Los Gemelos Traviesos.”  I thought this arrangement was genius. Yokley is not only a proficient and talented woodwind player, but he’s a gifted composer and budding arranger.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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