Guagua's original "psychotropical jazz" blends guitar, piano & horn melodies with tropical African, Caribbean & Brazilian polyrhythms for a uniquely exuberant and danceable sound.

12 MP3 Songs in this album (73:10) !
Related styles: LATIN: Latin Jazz, WORLD: Caribbean



Details:
Guagua started like a Belgian beer â the local culture blows in through the open window, and begins to ferment. On a cold Vermont night in January â04, composers Raph Groten and Geoff Kim opened the door to the "Radio Bean," Burlingtonâs musical incubator/coffee house, and invited a handful of local musicians to work up some of their original Cuban, Brazilian, and African-inspired compositions in front of the Radio Bean regulars. No charts, no set lists, not even a Real Book was to be seen that night or since. All we had to go on was our wide diversity of musical knowledge, some half-formed ideas and our common taste for diasporic African rhythm. From salsa, samba, and soukous to rumba, rara and calypso. The psychotropical jazz genre was bornâ¦

After those first few experimental gigs, the band evolved and grew from a half-dozen to a dozen, and grew the name "Guagua,", but the oral tradition has continued - nothing is ever written down, but we show up each Tuesday at the Bean expecting to play something no one has ever heard before. Itâs a great way to build a repertoire, and when that repertoire gets up to a few dozen, then itâs time to lay down some tracksâ¦

In 2006, we finally laid down our first disc, âpan fritoâ to critical acclaim. Our local arts rag called it âthe local jazz album of the year.â Now we have brewed another batch of tunes, and pushed the envelope a little. Besides the Cuban flavored âpurple oranges,â âNewgalloo,â âThe Newest Sonâ, and âBolero Chaâ and the Brazilian-scented âNot Your Mamaâs Sambaâ and âFKBâ, we have added multicultural numbers like the Brazilian/Cuban flip-flopper âPsychotropical,â the cut-time salsa number âEn Sieteâ, the Druid-Santeria cocktail âCeltic Bembe,â the uncategorizable âKorean Film Societyâ and even the bandâs vocal debut in âAfro Kimchi.â Psychotropical is medicinal, psychoactive and addictive, perfect for kids, old folks and everyone in between. Psychotropical is available without prescription. Safe for use while driving, or while operating heavy equipment. Consult your doctor if euphoria lasts less than four hours.