Afrodysia A Mi Tierra

Latin Beat Magazine, Oct, 2003 by Gilbert Rivera

(Random Chance Records)

A refreshing, out-of-the box repertoire of Latin jazz scores full of colorful rhythms from all corners of Latin America and the Caribbean make up the exotic recipe of Afrodysia. The keyboard talents and compositions of Mario Cazeneuve (a native of Montevideo, Uruguay) carry the listener through South American rhythms such as candombe, samba, tango, and other organic sounds to the sophisticated cross-cultural talents of his New York City-based band. Reed masters Mark Gatz and Paul Kendall are the power-players of the group, heading most of the leads while preserving the jazz integrity elements. Bassists Stefan Held keeps everyone in place and grooving. Cuban Deborah Avilés is the lead vocalist as well as contributing composer. Her soothing improvisational style is the group's secret weapon. Brother Danilo Avilés handles the drumming with Luis Andino on percussions. The opener (Malevo) is a jovial upbeat original piece from Cazeneuve in the traditional Latin jazz form. He features the rhythm of the candombe in the original score (Yorugua), with traditional drumming by guest percussionists. The cohesiveness of the group shines en the cover tunes SL Thomas (Sonny Rollins) and Tania Maria's Yatra-ta.