The most from the coast

Roberto López gives his roots a big twist with his Afro-Colombian Jazz Orchestra

Born and raised in Bogotá, Montrealer Roberto López is no stranger to Colombian music—and Montrealers aren’t strangers to him either, given the popular and critical success here and abroad of his second Roberto López Project album, 2009’s Soy Panamericano. His latest effort, however, is both a new direction and a return to his roots—and it’s starting out with a very high profile, with its debut performance next week being broadcast on CBC Radio 2 and Éspace Musique. López’s Afro-Colombian Jazz Orchestra scratches an instrumental-music itch he’s had for a while, tackling noted composers of Colombia’s engaging cumbia and porro styles with a psy­chedelic, hybrid twist. “I was inspired,” say López, “by Colombia’s Caribbean-coast brass bands, papayeras, but wanted to arrange it in the context of big-band style—modern jazz voicings, brass or woodwind solos, shouted choruses and so on—with a modern rhythm section that included electric guitar, drums, percussion and upright bass. “Putting some of the best jazzmen with a funky rhythm section to play Colombian porros and cumbias is already a big stretch. But to push the envelope even more, I’m going to present some interesting mixtures in my [own] compositions.”

Local notables in his orchestra include sax-man Joel Miller, bassist-in-demand Fraser Hollins, Cirque du Soleil vet Kullak Viger-Rojas on percussion, Papagroove’s David Carbonneau on trumpet and brass-meister Christopher Smith (the latter not only for his skill but because, ahem, he’s the only dude in town with the stylistically essential mini-tuba called a bom­bardino!).

The band gives López the chance to showcase sounds overshadowed by other countries’ more recognized styles. “True, Brazilian, Dominican and Cuban music have been popular for many years, each having had their golden years on the international scene. It’s only in recent years that there has been a global interest in discovering Colombian grooves. This year, when I attend­ed WOMEX in Copenhagen, the word around was that Colombian music is the next great wave in world music.”

Porro, López explains, is a mix of folk and brass band sounds about a century-and-a-half old. Cumbia, meanwhile, is more dance-oriented, a working-class, “mestizo” (hybrid) groove. “The cumbia is said to embody the mixture of the Amerindian, African and Spanish cultures. All these elements are present in the instrumentation and in the song form. The cumbia is probably the best-known Colombian rhythm, and it has influenced all Latin American music—far more than salsa or merengue.” ★

AT MAI ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, JAN. 14–15, 8 P.M., $20

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