Zemog
El Gallo Bueno
Aagoo
ago01cd

Not being Peruvian, I couldn't tell what Zemog means only that I love it. Who would have ever guessed Peru was home to cutting edge jazz, but Zemog, is the proof. The CD opens up with the Latino riot of Outpost Walla, with horns in fulll wail clearly playing a ska scale and pretty soon the whole composition is disintegrating into a cacophony of brass before seamlessly clicking back into a locktight arrangement. Did I mention there's lots of Spanish shouting as well?
Such is Zemog, an off the wall mixmaster of musical styles. This 10-piece outfit is equally adept at purposely sour horn arrangements as it is in throwing in quick bits of punk as in Pale De Ron. Their surrealist melange of discordancy will keep you on your toes only to thorow you off-balance just as quickly. The group boasts a crack horn section, with a particularly notable trombone player, a throbbing bass, an exuberant percussion ensemble, and an anarchic guitarist. Wanna rhumba? Check out the frantic Nene, with its brassy arrangement, cowbell-on-crack playing, and driving baritone sax line. Another fave is Cemi Snowmobile with its Reggae bass and percussion lines worthy of Sly and Robbie. Zemog is unlikely to become a household name any time soon; rather, this group is a secret to share and savour with friends.      -Charles Mandel