Cantos

Capturing the slow-burning fervour of an Afro-Cuban bembe – the rituals paying homage to the orisha deities of the Santería faith – this wonderful release is as authentic as one might expect from a troupe led by Nuyorican percussionist and Santería babalawo(priest) Abraham ‘Aby’ Rodriguez. Eight tracks framed by batá drums, strong solo voices and call-and-response chants offer dedications to orishas: the quixotic ‘Elegua’ for the opener of the way, ‘Obatala’ for the father of the sky, and for the orisha of beauty ‘Canto por Ochun’.

Each track is hypnotic, virtuosic and passionate, very subtly tailored to the quirks of its respective deity, with the polyrhythmic drum family of iyá, itótele and smaller okónkolo (as played by Rodriguez, Gene Golden and Xavier Rivera) providing the base around which male and female Yoruba-language vocals soar. It’s the stuff of traditional tambors, imbued with the swagger of the barrios of the Bronx and Brooklyn, and a powerful listen. While aficionados won’t find anything terribly new or different here, and those new to the genre may baulk at the apparent lack of contrast, Jadele McPherson’s spine-tingling evocations on ‘Yemaya’ are worth the price of this short album alone. A bembe in a box.