Abraham Delgado-Gomez, a native of Puerto Rico, is the person most responsible for bringing together this genre-crunching ensemble. Zemog is "Gomez" spelled backwards; the band name in English is "Gomez, the Good Rooster.") Zemog's nine-piece lineup mimics that of a salsa band, but its repertoire is hardly your padre's salsa. Drawing on Afro-Cuban and avant jazz, rock, salsa, traditional Puerto Rican music, and Afrobeat, Zemog is prey to a welter of musical influences that might fatally confuse lesser musicians. Instead, it thrives in the complexity of such tunes as "Ya No Vuelve" (She's Not Returning), "Animate" (Cheer Up), and "Rumba Pa' Las Ninas" (Party for the Girls). Dense rhythmic structures, avant brass and reed solos, vocals, and unpredictable arrangements make Zemog a challenging listening experience. Take the challenge; this is provocative music. Racked
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