Behique

Fernando García is a young Puerto Rican drummer, composer and educator based in New York. His previous releases have garnered acclaim for their blend of native folkloric rhythms and Latin jazz. The island's bomba heritage echoes throughout Behique: on the festive-sounding opener, ‘Alegría’, and particularly on the brief ‘Meli Ton Ton Be’ and the traditional ‘Yubá La Marilé’ and ‘Popurrí de Bomba’, in the last of which the call-and-response vocals help to cook up a roiling stew. Nevertheless, it's the Latin-jazz elements that most dominate all eight numbers (with five written by and the other three arranged by the leader).

The album's signature sound derives from the way that the piano, tenor sax and/or electric guitar play in unison with Claudia Tebar's often wordless vocal hooks – to infectious and joyfully melodic effect. In tandem with the traditional baril hand-drums, García's busy but unostentatious drumming directs his core group and keeps their polished solos on track. Bassist Dan Martínez is given room on the lyrical ‘Esperanza’, later switching to electric bass while Gabriel Chakarji swaps piano for Hammond organ on the closer, ‘Nuevas Vibras’, whose unexpected reggae vibe underpins Claudia Tebar's scatting and Jan Kus’ funky tenor solo. Latin-jazz fans will love this.