Agustín Pereyra Lucena – Puertos de Alternativa (Far Out Recordings, 2025)
Far Out Recordings expands its archival series with the first-ever vinyl reissue of Puertos de Alternativa, the elusive 1988 private-press album by Argentine guitarist Agustín Pereyra Lucena. Long out of print and highly coveted by collectors, the recording presents a refined synthesis of Brazilian and Argentine traditions, shaped by Lucena’s transcontinental career.
By the late 1980s, Lucena had established himself as a leading interpreter of Brazilian music in Argentina. He rose to prominence in the 1970s with the group Candeias and developed lasting ties with Brazilian icons including Vinícius de Moraes, Baden Powell, and Dorival Caymmi. During South America’s dictatorship era, Lucena spent several years touring Europe with his quartet, settling for a time in Norway. Puertos de Alternativa was recorded upon his return to Buenos Aires and reflects this mosaic of cultural and geographic influences.
The album features original compositions such as the joyful “Luces de Valeria” and “Preparativos Marítimos,” as well as interpretations of Powell’s “Pequeño Vals” and “O Cego Aderaldo (Nordeste…),” and “Tema Barroco” by long-time collaborator Guillermo Reuter. Lucena’s phrasing and harmonic language evoke the lineage of Brazilian guitarists like Heitor Villa-Lobos, Garoto, and Powell, yet the music resists strict classification. Across the album, the sound shifts from Rio de la Plata lyricism to the stark clarity of Nordic landscapes.
The ensemble includes drummer Osvaldo Avena, flutist Rubén Izarrualde, and saxophonist Bernardo Baraj, figures central to Argentina’s acoustic and jazz scenes. The title, Puertos de Alternativa (“Alternative Harbors”), nods to Lucena’s fascination with port cities and their musical currents. As he observed, “There is a flow near water that influences guitar playing, for sure.”
Sourced from the original master tapes preserved by Lucena’s nephew José Lucena Pereyra, the reissue was remastered by Stuart Hawkes at Metropolis Studios.
Musicians: Agustín Pereyra Lucena on guitar, electric guitar, vocals, and effects; Guillermo Reuter on piano, keyboards, acoustic bass, percussion, drums, vocals, and arrangements; Rubén Izarrualde on flute and bass flute; Osvaldo Avena on drums; Eduardo Avena on tambora; Julio Said on tamboril; Alejandro Santos on flute; Lucho González on bass and flute arrangements; Andrés Laprida on electric piano, arrangements, and co-composition; Bernardo Baraj on soprano saxophone; Osvaldo López on drums; Horacio Veros on berimbau.
Author: Iliana Cabrera
