Alex "Apolo" Ayala - LYDIALIEBMAN.COM

Afro-Puerto Rican Jazz
Release date: April 4, 2025
Label: PMC Records/Miel Music

Afro-Puerto Rican Jazz is the latest album from acclaimed bassist and composer Alex "Apolo" Ayala and his vibrant ensemble The Bámbula Project. On his sophomore release, Ayala seeks to make a statement with his music, and illustrate the profound connections between Afro-Puerto Rican music and mainstream jazz, offering a grounded work that bridges tradition and innovation.

Historically, jazz musicians have long collaborated with Latin artists, with Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo, Stan Getz and Antonio Carlos Jobim serving as apropos examples. Evoking a similar approach, Ayala brings that collaborative spirit to Afro-Puerto Rican music, envisioning a world where Charlie Parker meets Rafael Cortijo or Charles Mingus plays alongside the Bomberos of Puerto Rico. “I have one foot in tradition and the other foot in the modern, avant-garde side. I’m not afraid of stepping outside of the box and taking risks, experimenting, and re-imagining and playing these rhythms in a different way. Every time I do that, I have the time of my life, and I say to myself: the possibilities are endless,” the bandleader reflects.

The varied ensemble showcased on Afro-Puerto Rican Jazz significantly contributes to this aspect of Ayala's vision, exemplified by Andrew Gould on alto and soprano saxophones, Fernando García on drums, Victor Pablo García on percussion, and guest artist Nelson Matthew Gonzalez on requinto drum for three tracks. Listeners witness a musical group fully stepping into Ayala’s vision, exhibiting a commanding understanding of these traditions and contributing exhilarating performances that both advance and pay tribute to the conventions of these idioms.

With his acclaimed debut album, Bámbula (2022 - Truth Revolution), Ayala joined the lineage of jazz pioneers from Puerto Rico, which include William Cepeda, Papo Vázquez, David Sánchez, and Miguel Zenón. These musicians, among many others, have dedicated themselves to incorporating the richness of their musical traditions into the jazz idiom, thereby introducing the public to these vibrant cultural expressions.

On Afro-Puerto Rican Jazz the bandleader builds on this legacy while forging his own voice. His approach is fearless – Ayala is unafraid to take risks, experiment, and reimagine myriad rhythmic possibilities. The result is an electrifying musical collection that challenges convention while celebrating the endless possibilities of this musical fusion.

The album opens with "Río Piedras," a tribute to Ayala's hometown in San Juan, Puerto Rico, setting the tone with its buoyant energy. "Agonía," a three-movement suite reflecting a deeply personal family struggle, conveys raw emotion through its segments: "Reckoning," "Hopelessness," and "Uncertainty." Ayala interprets these intense experiences musically, offering a deeply personal and expressive narrative. "Ngudi," meaning "Mother" in Kikongo language, is a musical tribute dedicated to Ayala's late mother, who passed away in 2019. "3D Plena," a nod to the late great Ray Santos composition "3D Mambo," was originally written for the Tito Puente orchestra. Ayala’s homage reinterprets plena rhythms with a fresh, contemporary approach with deep Bebop influences.

The album's sole cover, "Bomba Carambomba," pays tribute to a classic recorded by Puerto Rican legends Rafael Cortijo and Ismael Rivera, Sonora Ponceña, and Ángel Canales. “Bomba Pa’ Ana Luisa” and “Sweetness” are two original compositions that Ayala dedicated to his dear Wife, Anna Louise Andersson. It showcases Ayala’s melodic and lyrical approach to composition. In “Sweetness” in particular, we can hear not only some Classical music influences, but also Ayala’s growth as a Soloist.

The album concludes with "Cuembé," a rhythm from the bomba tradition that showcases its regional variations across Puerto Rico, bringing the record to a powerful and celebratory close.Afro-Puerto Rican Jazz also marks a milestone for Miel Music, the independent record label led by renowned saxophonist, Grammy Award winner, and MacArthur Grant recipient Miguel Zenón. Notably, this is the first release on the label by an artist other than Zenón himself. "For a very long time now, I’ve been thinking about ways to help provide a platform for up-and-coming musicians so that it’s simpler for them to share their albums and musical vision," shares Zenón. "I’m excited to share my platform with artists like Alex Ayala. He’s an excellent musician, with a clear vision and a quest for excellence. I’m hoping that this collaboration with Alex will be the first of many, and that Miel Music will be able to provide support to many other musicians like him."

Bámbula
Release date: February 11, 2022
Label: Truth Revolution Records

Bámbula is the debut album from New York-based bassist and composer Alex “Apolo” Ayala. A remarkable celebration of his Afro-Puerto Rican culture, Bámbula is a rumination on identity and a stirring tribute to his late mother and grandmother. Over the course of seven original compositions and one reimagination, the San Juan-native artfully blends Afro-Caribbean styles with jazz language, making an impactful and impressive musical statement.

While Bámbula may be his first formal introduction as a leader, Ayala has established himself as an in-demand and distinctive artist on the New York City Latin Music and Jazz music circuits. His impressive resume includes performance credits with renowned Latin music giants such as Gilberto SantaRosa, Roberto Rohena, Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Mambo Legends Orchestra, Paoli Mejias, Ralph Irrizary, Giovanni Hidalgo, Edsel Gomez, and many, many others. Currently, he plays with the Antonio Hart Quartet, Mike Eckroth Latin Jazz Quartet, Trombeatz, Flavio Silva’s Break Free, and serves as the Musical Director of Los Pleneros de la 21.

With Bámbula, Ayala comes into his own as a leader. The album was heavily inspired by the social unrest that unfolded in the summer of 2020 as a result of the killing of George Floyd. “I found myself reflecting about both my race, and my ethnicity. A word that kept resonating in my mind was ‘identity.’ Specifically, Afro-Puerto Rican identity”,” Ayala shares. He also thought about his ancestors. With these sentiments in mind, Ayala began to construct what would become his debut album.

The title Bámbula means “the memory of a forgotten place.” Ayala shares that the Kikongo (Bantu language) word is “the act of re-remembering who you are as a person, tapping into the collective unconscious. The Bámbula is the oldest known rhythm of the Bomba complex.” Bomba is Puerto Rico’s oldest and purest musical art form. “Bomba is the music that our African ancestors brought with them to the Americas. It is the most authentic expression of Puerto Rican Blackness,” he reflects. Each song on Ayala’s debut has a purpose, and each is an homage and tribute to these ancestors, and specifically, his late mother and grandmother.

For the occasion, the bandleader turned to the rich Puerto Rican diaspora in New York City, employing an impressive crew of talented musicians. Consummate improviser and instrumentalist Ivan Renta displays an arresting lyricism and rhythmic control as the main melodic voice, supported by the vigorous drums and percussion of Fernando García and Nelson Mateo Gonzalez.

“Renta on saxophone was my first option from day one,” Ayala says while discussing his band. “He is a multilingual player equally at home in jazz and Afro-Puerto Rican languages. Garcia is a master in applying the languages of Bomba and the barril de bomba vocabulary into the drum set and Nelson Mateo Gonzalez is to me, the premier Afro-Puerto Rican drummer in town. His vast knowledge of the language Bomba and the bomba drum is amazing to behold.”

The bright “Café y Bomba” features the sultry voice of Anna Louise Andersson singing both lyrics and melodic parts that blend beautifully with the ensemble. “Anna Louise is like a breath of fresh air. Her voice is clean, her intonation is remarkable, and her vocal range and skill are incredible,” Ayala adds.

As a composer, Ayala finds compelling ways of orchestrating, resulting in the small ensemble truly maximizing the potential of their instruments. On “Bozales,” one can hear Renta doubling bass lines with the bandleader and playing rhythmic background parts while García and Gonzalez play intricate drum breaks in perfect unison. This is just one example where the sound is greater than the sum of its parts. Another highlight is “Jíbaro Negro” which features an outstanding solo by Ayala and displays the excellent synchronicty between García and Gonzalez. The record ends with an enigmatic arrangement of the “Tite” Curet Alonso Catalino classic “Las Caras Lindas,” a profound song about the beauty of Afro-Caribbean heritage. The group’s rendition offers a more subdued approach, making it a master stroke as the album’s closer.