Mambo Meets Mozambique on Orquesta Akokán’s “Pan Con Tíbiri”
PRAISE FOR Orquesta Akokán
“An explosion of brass and saxophone call the dancers to order then the rhythm rides on the pulse of the saxes, calling to mind the full bodied sound of past masters Perez Prado and Tito Puente.”
“The contours of the group’s sumptuous brass and reed sections recall the great bands that once ruled the legendary midtown casa del baile the Palladium, its percussion-augmented rhythm section feels supercharged in a remarkably contemporary way.”
“One of the latest and most innovative groups moving the genre in a progressive direction while maintaining its airy, joyous foundations.”
“Fresh and jubilant.”
“A thrill...It's rich, punchy.”
TRACKLIST
1. Con Licencia
2. Pan Con Tíbiri
3. Caracoles
4. Suave Suave
5. Cha-Cha-Cha Pa’Ca (feat. Carolina Oliveros)
6. La Fiera
7. Pregonero
8. Las Siete Vidas de Inés
9. Flor di mi Campo
10. Doña Felipa
Today, Orquesta Akokán — the Billboard Latin Music Award-winning, GRAMMY-nominated ensemble that boasts members from New York and Cuba — share “Pan Con Tíbiri,” a rhythmic cannonball of a track from their new album Caracoles, out July 12 via Daptone Records (Sharon Jones, Thee Sacred Souls, Charles Bradley). Watch/listen to “Pan Con Tíbiri” HERE and Pre-Save/Pre-Order Caracoles HERE.
“Pan Con Tíbiri” begins with a fanfare worthy of a mod-era spy thriller before launching into a kinetic rhythmic feel unlike any mambo you’ve heard before. Says the band’s Jacob Plasse: “For me this tune is all about the percussionists — they came up with a Mozambique that you could almost imagine on a Dr. John record; I know I have never heard a groove like this on a mambo record before.”
Caracoles introduces the band’s new singer and lyricist Kiko Ruiz, not only a formidable performer and presence, but a tata — priest — in the Palo Mayombe religion. For Ruiz, mambo is both a song and a prayer, beseeching good spirits to guide one’s journey away from darkness.
The video for “Con Licencia” depicts Kiko’s daily gunpowder ritual of calling the dead to free him from negative energy in his home in Central Havana’s San Leopoldo neighborhood. Remezcla calls “Con Licencia” “a tune that embodies joy and spirit, polished by the sounds of brass and bongos. The warm blare of the opening trumpet paints a vivid picture of a Havana alleyway in the summertime.” Watch the video for “Con Licencia” here.
Recorded live at the famed Abdala studios in Havana, Caracoles is packed with orquesta gigante tunes performed with relentless and intricate rhythmic feels, colorful bebop intonations, and an irresistible, danceable swing. This is undoubtedly music that inspires the body to move, but it also is designed to uplift the spirit — the profane and the prophetic are all interwoven throughout this album.
Orquesta Akokán recently announced an NYC album release show for June 28 at The Sultan Room. More info here.
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