Search - Plena Libre :: Estamos Gozando

If rap is, as Chuck D claimed, "the CNN of the streets," then Puerto Rico's Afro-derived plena is the Internet of the Antilles. Spawned in the 19th century, the genre features three tambourine-like pandero hand drums and topical, news-oriented lyrics. In 1994, bassist Gary Nunez formed the Plena Libre ensemble. The title of this CD translates as "we are having fun." The group updates plena classics by Angel Torruellas, Mon Rivera, and Rafael Cepeda with a rhythm section, four trombones, percussion and keyboards. Special guests trumpeter Charlie Sepulveda and violinist Alfredo de la Fe provide the jazz tinge on the engaging instrumental, "Lluvia Con Nieve," and the processional pulsations of "Juan Jose" are sonically signatured by William Cepeda's ebullient trombone. "Tributo A Rafael Cortijo Y Su Combo" is a soulful salute to the great Puerto Rican composer who put this music on the map. --Eugene Holley, Jr.