Papo Vazquez takes a look at the past and mixes it with modernity in his new album "Songs del Yucayeke"

SONGS DEL YUCAYEKE

Musicians:  Papo Vazquez (trombone, vocals, chorus, composer, bandleader); Jose Mangual (vocals and chorus), Ivan Renta (tenor saxophone), Rick Germanson (piano), Ariel Robles (bass), Alvester Garnett (drums), Carlos Maldonado (barril de bomba, pandero, guicharo, guiro, timbales [6], congas [3], bongo [10]).

Guest Artists: Rodney Jones (guitar), Eric Figueroa (piano), Jose Clausell (percussion), Bruce Williams (alto saxophone), and Raul Rios (trumpet).

Tracks List:  NYP 9 Hudson; Guaracatu; El Alcalde del Barrio; Funny Money; Light at End of Tunnel Blues for Buhaina; Dos Tito's; Adios Querido Monte; Plena Pa' Los Apache; Gate of Lost Souls; La Montaña; Donde Esta el Amor (instrumental); Cancion del Yucayeke; End Percussion Jam; Donde Esta el Amor (vocal)

Grammy nominated Papo Vázquez proudly announces the release date of his 11th CD, Songs Del Yucayeke, along with bandmates, Mighty Pirates Troubadours. The CD will be released on June 21, 2024, on Picaro Records, and will be available on all digital platforms, as well as on CD.

Songs Del Yucayeke will feature new original compositions, and arrangements, from Vázquez.

Yucayeque=Yucayeke were communities or hamlets established by the Taino Indians (Hispaniola-Dominican Rep., Puerto Rico and Cuba), with huts near the rivers to obtain food nearby and transport them in canoes.

All yucayeques were organized around a central patio or batey. It was the meeting center of the indigenous people, where they celebrated great events, everyone helped to keep it clean and beautiful. In front was the house of the Yucayeque chief called caney. Rectangular in shape, the most important house was considered, the rest of the houses or huts were located around the batey and their shape was circular.

The fertile lands of Borinquen were the best gift that the Taino aborigines received.

Angel Rafael "Papo" Vázquez is an American trombonist, composer, arranger, and bandleader of Puerto Rican descent who performs and records jazz, Latin and Afro-Caribbean music. He is known as one of the pioneers of the bomba jazz style and is a Grammy Award nominee.

"Songs Del Yucayeke" will feature new original compositions, and arrangements, from Vázquez running the full gamut of the ensemble’s fusion of Jazz, Puerto Rican folkloric music, and other Afro Caribbean rhythms. As always Vázquez’ Mighty Pirates Troubadours

demonstrate why they are perennial leaders on the Latin Jazz scene.

Papo Vazquez

Born in February 24, 1958 in Philadelphia, PA, although his young formative years were in Puerto Rico. By age 17, Papo Vazquez headed to New York City, recorded and performed with top artists in the salsa music scene like The Fania All-Stars, Ray Barretto, Willie Colón, Eddie Palmieri, Larry Harlow, and Hector Lavoe. Vázquez became a key player in NYC’s burgeoning Latin jazz scene of the late 1970's.
He went on to perform and/or record with jazz luminaries Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra, Chico O’Farrill, Ray Charles, Slide Hampton’s World of Trombones, Jerry Gonzalez Fort Apache among many others, and by the age of 22, Vázquez had traveled the globe.
Vázquez was deeply moved by jazz at a young age. His appreciation and knowledge of the indigenous music of the Caribbean provides him with a unique ability to fuse Afro-Caribbean rhythms with freer melodic and harmonic elements of progressive jazz.

He was a founding member of Jerry Gonzalez' Fort Apache and Conjunto Libre, as well as Puerto Rico’s popular Latin fusion band Batacumbele. With Batacumbele he performed, composed, arranged and recorded on several albums from 1981 to 1985. Upon his return to New York, he joined Tito Puente's Latin Jazz Ensemble, traveling with them as principal trombonist, and toured Europe with Dizzy Gillespie's United Nations Orchestra.

Vázquez has always been deeply moved by jazz, and specifically cites the music of John Coltrane and J.J. Johnson as having most influenced him.  In addition, his appreciation for and knowledge of the indigenous music of the Caribbean peoples provides him with a unique ability to fuse Afro-Caribbean rhythms, specifically those from Puerto Rico, with freer melodic and harmonic elements of progressive jazz.

Viva The Latin Jazz!!

www.jazzcaribe.blogspot.com

jazzcaribe2001@yahoo.com

Note: If you want to know more about the honorable musical career of Papo Vazquez, I invite you to read and or consult my recently published book "The Bible of Latin Jazz" (Amazon).