MESTIZX

This is a concept album of sorts from the husband-and-wife team of drummer Frank Rosaly and singer Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti, whose inspiration for this record stems from their ancestral roots in Bolivia, Brazil and Puerto Rico, through which they seek to explore themes of decolonization, ritual and protest. Rosaly’s collaborative credits include work with free jazz legend Peter Brotzmann, experimental guitarist Nels Cline and avant-rock icon Thurston Moore. Ferragutti is a multi-medium artist who has presented her works in a variety of spaces internationally. MESTIZX is their debut combined venture. Opener ‘INVOCAÇÃO’ is a moody, ambitious affair whose compositions float over Rosaly’s superb jazz rhythms, with sparse piano melodies, ominous bass and drifting clouds of vibraphone. Lead single ‘DESTEJER’ whips up a compelling sonic palette of shimmering keys, pulsing hand percussion and slow-drawn brass. Ferragutti’s vocals reverberate with ghostly power. The title-track is a downtempo tropicália meditation with gently declaimed vocals, circling guitar and jagged sparks of synth. As a whole, Ferragutti & Rosaly’s MESTIZX provides a surfeit of depth and emotion, full of inventive compositions and variety.