CLASSICAL RESONANCE, INDIGENOUS SOUL.

• Author: Holston, Mark
• Position: Recorded music reviews

Luis Perez

Tales of Astral Travelers

(DOMO 72438-46195-2-7)

Ancient wind and percussion instruments from pre-Columbian Mexican cultures express their sonic identities with a decidedly contemporary accent on this intriguing album by Mexico City-born musicologist Luis Perez. A leading authority on the music-making traditions of many of his country's most influential indigenous groups, Perez spent years visiting cultures like the Nahua, where he learned to speak Nahuatl, the tongue of the Aztecs and several other pre-Columbian societies. In recent years, he has lectured on Mesoamerican music artifacts at UCLA's Department of Musicology and has collaborated with such internationally famed musicians as Jon Anderson, Andreas Vollenweider, and the Japanese group Kitaro.

Classical guitar, a string quartet, and subtle electronic textures enhance Perez's ethereal, self-composed themes that evoke images their titles suggest on songs like "Lunar Dance," "Distant Voices," and "Sleeping Woman." Although the album will primarily appeal to fans of the World Beat and New Age styles, Perez transcends the predictability of those genres through his respectful and skillful use of instruments that not long ago were considered little more than museum-piece curiosities.

Celia Cruz

Duets (RMM RMD 82201)

For most of her fabled career, Cuban tropical music diva Celia Cruz has been at the center of attention, whether it was as an emerging vocal sensation on Havana radio broadcasts in the 1940s or in the spotlight as lead singer of the legendary Cuban band La Sonora Matancera in the 1950s and 1960s. Some of her most rewarding performances, however, have come about when the queen of Latin music has joined forces with other vocalists from throughout the Americas. The fruits of such historic collaborations are magically realized on this compilation of a dozen memorable performances pairing the irrepressible Cruz with guest artists who represent a wide spectrum of hemispheric styles.

On Brazilian composer Gilberto Gil's "Soy loco por ti America" her burnished voice is paired with the suave and delicate style of Brazil's Caetano Veloso. Argentina's eclectic rock band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs prove the queen can easily cross generational and stylistic gulfs on the ska-laced "Vasos vacios." With Colombian singer Matilde Diaz, Cruz captures the zesty spirit of that nation's vallenato rhythm. Other performances find Cruz in the company of Dominican merengue star Johnny Ventura...