The plena is one of Puerto Rico's national rhythms, although, since the 1960s, it had fallen by the wayside. Plena Libre changed all that, making it the heart of a sound that covers not only Latin, but some highly accomplished jazz, and on Mas Libre, their eighth Puerto Rican album, they really let it rip, under the direction of bassist Gary Nuñez. There are merengues mixed with plenas, a touch of Brazilian music -- many of the offshoots of the African root in their sound, which is high energy and spurred along by eight of ...
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The plena is one of Puerto Rico's national rhythms, although, since the 1960s, it had fallen by the wayside. Plena Libre changed all that, making it the heart of a sound that covers not only Latin, but some highly accomplished jazz, and on Mas Libre, their eighth Puerto Rican album, they really let it rip, under the direction of bassist Gary Nuñez. There are merengues mixed with plenas, a touch of Brazilian music -- many of the offshoots of the African root in their sound, which is high energy and spurred along by eight of the 13 members being percussionists. And while it's not a musical museum piece (they even take the daring step of using a superb female conga player, Gina Villanueva), the lyrics, too, have a contemporary relevance, as in "A Mi Manera," with its references to strikes, earrings, and dyed hair. But there's no reason this music can't reach across generations without stooping to the lowest common denominator, and Plena Libre succeed in that goal. "Tema De Luis Garcia," for example, mixes Cuban and Puerto Rican music (specifically the holandes , a bomba rhythm) with a swinging horn section that extemporizes freely. This is music that crosses all manner of Latin boundaries, creating new and very exciting hybrids and setting a pace for younger bands to follow. ~ Chris Nickson, Rovi
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