Afro-Rican Ensemble – Latin, Soul-Sa and Jazz

Ensemble is the right word for this diverse group of musicians hailing from Columbus, Ohio. Despite having been together a relatively short time, the players are tight and play well off of each other. Their rendition of Horace Silver’s “Song for my Father” is popping, and Coletrane’s “A Love Supreme” maintains it’s timeless quality while picking up a tint of Latin rhythm.

Their press release says that the Afro-Rican Ensemble ‘sets out a rumba buffet of jazz and funk, sal-soul and old time swing‘. We agree. This is one of those CD’s that you put on, then leave on the player for a while.  The one thing you’ll find the most noticeable (and enjoyable) about this album is that no one artist sticks out as the ‘lead’ player of the album. Their ability to pull a song together, infusing it with their signature Latin rhythm, creates a whole that is greater than the sum of it’s individual parts, and thereby does justice to the songs they cover.

You can contact the Afro-Rican Ensemble at afrorican99@hotmail.com or by visiting the Afro-Rican Ensemble Website.