SILENCIO

I first heard Asi Somos in 2008 at a 100th birth anniversary celebration for Puerto Rican national poet Juan Antonio Corretjer at LaGuardia Community College in Queens, New York. They performed songs with music written for his poetry with an eclecticism and a musicianship that was poetic in itself.

"Silencio" is revelatory for future fusions of Puerto Rican folk and popular music. Even their name - Asi Somos is Spanish for "That's the way we are" - works as a message-laden one-liner. Specifically, one that can prove generative for Latin prog, Puerto Rican prog, and prog-folk.

To fully appreciate the sonic adventure of "Silencio," it's useful to understand that all of the instrumentation and compositions you hear have deep roots in the music of Puerto Rico. The songs here reflect the spectrum of the genres that either originated or thrived there. "Paragorn" as the opener reflects the fusing of influences of folk, jazz, and symphonic in just 2:01 is what is, or could be, seminal for future productions. This coming together of genres is how "Mi Cancion" can juxtapose a symphonic jazz fusion jaunt with a percussive guaguanco coda. Even the shorter interstitial pieces are exercises of versatility, for example, in the all-percussion of "Rumba" and the chamber jazz of "Estudio 3."

Note as well that the saxophone (soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone all here on board played by Saviel O. Cartegena Acevedo) is a prominent instrument across the album. It is a clear nod to their Latin jazz influences and mixes well with a lush chorus buttressed by string and percussion sections.

Also an enormous influence on "Silencio" is the nueva trova tradition of conscious lyrics over folk instruments. This is appropriate for a band that was chosen to represent the legacy of Corretjer, whose status is parallel to legendary national poets elsewhere, Puerto Rican pride is at the core of their beliefs and permeates the words throughout. In fact, their musicianship is matched only by the lyricism, with strong folkloric vocal harmonies and ethereal choral arrangements bridging the two.

Recommended for: listeners who like a Caribbean-flavored genre mashup.