Alex “Apolo” Ayala & The Bámbula Project – Afro-Puerto Rican Jazz (PMC Records / Miel Music, 2025)
Afro-Puerto Rican Jazz is the second album by bassist and composer Alex “Apolo” Ayala, accompanied by The Bámbula Project. Issued jointly by PMC Records and Miguel Zenón’s Miel Music, the album explores the intersection of Afro-Puerto Rican rhythms and modern jazz.
Following his 2022 debut Bámbula, Ayala expands on the work of Puerto Rican jazz innovators such as William Cepeda, Papo Vázquez, David Sánchez, and Zenón himself. With Afro-Puerto Rican Jazz, Ayala deepens this lineage, integrating bomba and other Afro-Caribbean forms into contemporary jazz frameworks.
The album features a core ensemble including Andrew Gould (alto and soprano saxophones), Fernando García (drums), Victor Pablo García (percussion), and guest artist Nelson Matthew Gonzalez, who contributes requinto drum on three tracks. Together, they deliver performances that balance tradition with improvisational freedom, although to me, this feels more like a conventional jazz saxophone album. Makes me wonder what happened to the trumpets and trombones traditionally used in Afro-Caribbean music.
Afro-Puerto Rican Jazz opens with “Río Piedras,” a lively homage to Ayala’s hometown in San Juan. Other highlights include “Agonía,” a three-part suite addressing personal themes of grief and uncertainty, and “Ngudi,” a tribute to Ayala’s late mother. “3D Plena” reimagines the Pueto Rican plena style through a jazz lens, inspired by Ray Santos’ classic “3D Mambo.”
The album also includes a reinterpretation of “Bomba Carambomba,” a staple of Puerto Rican bomba, previously recorded by Rafael Cortijo, Ismael Rivera, and others. Two original compositions, “Bomba Pa’ Ana Luisa” and “Sweetness,” are dedicated to Ayala’s wife. The closing track, “Cuembé,” highlights regional variations of bomba rhythms.
This release is also a landmark for Miel Music, marking its first non-Zenón project. “I’m excited to share my platform with artists like Alex Ayala,” says Zenón. “He’s an excellent musician with a clear vision and a quest for excellence. I hope this is the first of many collaborations that will help elevate emerging voices.”
All compositions by Alex “Apolo” Ayala, except “Bomba Carambomba,” composed by Alberto “Titi” Amadeo. Arrangement by Alex “Apolo” Ayala.
Author: Iliana Cabrera
