Pianist
Omar Sosa and his band fuse divergent musical influences on the CD
Prietos. Sounds from Morocco, Ecuador, Venezuela, Ivory Coast, Brazil, the United States, and Burkina Faso coalesce with musical sensibilities from
Sosa's homeland of Cuba. Especially striking on
Prietos is the intertwining of hip-hop verse with traditional sounding Yoruban lyrics and Afro-Cuban rhythms. Though the contrast between the urban U.S. art form and the time-honored Cuban tradition may appear to be bit incongruous,
Sosa and his crew of talented musicians make it flow on such tunes as "Takes a Second." A bevy of instruments -- including Moroccan qarqabas and bendirs, Venezuelan tambor redondos and quitiplas, and Brazilian berimbaus -- add layers of ear-catching textures to the standard Latin big-band sound.
Prietos, which means "dark" in Spanish, is a coherent CD that combines music from Africa and the Africa Diaspora without coming across as contrived or forced. It's a testament to the African experience in the New World, and a product of
Sosa's creative approach to music making.