Herencia Africana (Centro Nacional del Disco, 2011)
Akende is one of the leading Afro-Venezuelan ensembles in the current Venezuelan music scene. Their album Herencia Africana (African Heritage) explores traditional Afro-rooted Venezuelan music with a mix that combines traditional arrangements with vocals and drums as well as modern influences that incorporate brass and piano.
The styles include the dance party-oriented parranda, sangueo (Afro-Venezuelan genre that honors Christian saint San Juan Bautista, St. John the Baptist) and drumming songs.
The wide-range of percussion includes a fascinating mix of traditional Venezuelan instruments as well as drums from Cuba.
The lineup on the album includes composer and ensemble director Alexis Machado on vocals; arranger and musical director Mario M. Pazmiño on piano; José S. Rengifo on small percussion; Darwin Lathan on bass, percussion and musical direction; José Richard Parada on paila (Venezuelan drum), guira (scraper), batá iya (Cuban drum), and tumbadoras (congas); Juan Pablo Camacho on itotele (Cuban drum), cumaco (long cylindrical Venezuelan drum) and maracas; Francisco Ceballo on laures (drum sticks); Martin González on timbal; Alexis González on trumpet; Rodolfo Gonzáles on trombone; Alex Machado Francia on laures; Alexis Pacheco on lead and backing vocals; Miriam Rodríguez on vocals; Juan Carlos Sojo on vocals; Frank Reinoza on guira; Sixela Machado on backing vocals; Roxanda Marcos on lead and backing vocals; Francisco Castro on timbal; and Igor Barazarte on tumbadoras. Nelson López appears as guest pianist.
Agrupación Musical Experimental Akende was founded June 13, 1990 in Barrio el Manguito in San Agustin del Sur (Caracas). The group quickly became a seminal school for the development of Afro-Venezuelan music. It was the first group to add the timbal to a traditional parranda format. Many of Akende’s former musicians have become well-known instrumentalists performing with top Venezuelan and international Latin music stars.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
