Get a taste of Latin jazz with these UNC professors' local band

UNC professor Juan Álamo is more than just a performer, educator and composer — he is also the founder of the Latin jazz ensemble Marimjazzia. On Oct. 29, the Sonja Haynes Stone Center is hosting a release party for the band's latest album, "Ruta Panoramica."

Students and locals can see the band play all 11 pieces on the album live and can expect to hear Latin jazz music in both Spanish and English.

Marimjazzia, formed about four years ago by Álamo, is a local jazz ensemble consisting of local Durham artists Brevan Hampden, Beverly Botsford and Andy Kleindienst, along with UNC professors Steve Anderson and, of course, Álamo himself.

Latin jazz is an umbrella term for the array of styles and types of music that will be featured on the album, Álamo said. The genre pulls from many different places and branches of jazz music, such as Puerto Rican, classical, folkloric Latin American, Brazilian, and more — all of which all have Afro-Carribbean influence.

Both the album and the band are built around the marimba, a percussion instrument that originated in Africa. The instrument was even the inspiration behind the band’s name "Marimjazza" — a blend of the words marimba and jazz. The use of the marimba in a jazz setting is what makes this album and band unique, Álamo said.

“All of those rhythms come as a result of Afro-Diasporic communities that were brought to the Caribbean, and here in the states throughout the Americas during the trans-Atlantic slave trade," Álamo said. "We inherited those rhythms and those rhythms have evolved, but they continue to be part of the African heritage and traditions that were brought to Puerto Rico and throughout the Americas."

Álamo said listeners can hear the Afro-Caribbean and Latin American influences in Ruta Panoramica, each song of which he wrote and arranged himself.

“I'm from Puerto Rico," Álamo said. "So a lot of the music has some connection, directly or indirectly, to my homeland. Whether it's because of the rhythms that I'm using, the uses of folkloric melodies or musical styles, or the lyrics which reference things that have happened or that are happening in Puerto Rico."

The name of the album is also inspired by a system of roads in Puerto Rico that Alamo remembers from his childhood. 

“The name of the album is also exclusive to my hometown," Álamo said. "Ruta Panoramica is a route that crosses the island from the west to the east. When I was growing up, that's the route my family would take to go to the beach. So the tune is kind of paying homage to that.”

UNC professor David Garcia wrote the liner notes for the album. In writing these notes, Garcia said he felt it was important to interview Álamo first and speak to him firsthand about what the music meant to get a better understanding of Álamo's perspective on growing up in Puerto Rico.

"I wrote around 750 words of text that kind of contextualize the music on the album, giving listeners a little bit of insight on the purpose of recording this particular album,” Garcia said. “I could certainly have talked about the music on the CD, according to what I was hearing, but I had no idea what he was thinking about when writing it, or exactly what the music meant. And so I felt it was important to write liner notes that would include his perspective.”

Stephanie Cobert, the public communications officer for the Stone Center, said the album fits in with the mission of the Stone Center. 

"The fact that the music highlights historical grounds such as the Ruta Panoramica, which runs through the heart of Puerto Rico, and the melodies and harmonies of Puerto Rico, the album fits into our examination of the history and cultures of the African diaspora," Cobert said. 

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