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Sample Track 1:
"Trabajala" from Roots Before Branches
Sample Track 2:
"Solo dos veces" from Roots Before Branches
Layer 2
Album Review

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New York Press, Album Review >>

Roots Before Branches, by drummer Henry Cole and the Afrobeat Collective is a proud showing of current Nuyorican culture. His beats, solid even while shifty, are matched by bold yet detailed arrangements for ten or eleven players, different on each track. Repertoire shout-outs to Santana, Fela Kuti, poetry slams and late night space jams; spotlit saxophonists Miguel Zenón, David Sanchez, John Ellis and guitarist Adam Rogers don’t steal the thunder but add to the aura. “Uncovered Fear” is a mournful recitative (all vocals are in Spanish) with strings. The album, Cole’s first, is more ambitious than party music, but it’s that, too. 04/25/12 >> go there
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