By Ed Enright | Published August 2025
This sunny new release from the Gabriel Alegría Afro-Peruvian Sextet has essential elements of a great summer listen: a liberating liveliness that keeps inhibitions perpetually at bay, snappy percussion and ancient tribal rhythms from the hearts of South America and Africa, melodic horn lines that seem to ride waves of light and heat, pleasant jazz soloing that conjures an outdoor festival vibe, and just enough calm breeziness and wide-open sonic space to sustain a consistently refreshing breathability. Recorded in Lima, Peru, and built upon a depth of experience performing as an innovative, culturally immersed ensemble, El Muki is a spirit-guided excursion into sensory realms that serves as a homecoming in honor of the group’s 20th anniversary. The album consists of eight original pieces (four by trumpeter/bandleader Alegría and four by New York-based tenor saxophonist/composer Laura Andrea Laguía) plus a muted-trumpet exploration of the bouncy, reggae-pop tune “Walking On The Moon” by The Police. This incarnation of the sextet — part of a larger ecosystem of participating players dating back to its birth in 2005 — also includes cajon superstar Freddy “Huevito” Lobatón (who also plays cajita and quijada on these nine crisply recorded tracks), the dextrous jazz and traditional-Peruvian bassist Mario Cuba, founding drummer and Afro-Peruvian genre-definer Hugo Alcázar, guitarist and co-producer Jocho Velásquez and soprano saxophonist supreme JF Maza, with sensitive contributions from cellist Marco Lucioni and the 16-strong choir Shades of Yale. In support of El Muki (named for a mythical Andean elf traditionally believed to protect miners in the Peruvian highlands), the Gabriel Alegría Afro-Peruvian Sextet will embark on a fall 2025 U.S. tour that includes performances at Cameron Art Museum in Wilmington, North Carolina (Oct. 2), Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance in North Carolina’s Chatham County (Oct. 3), Blues Alley in Washington D.C. (Oct. 6), Origins Concert Series in Oneonta, New York (Oct. 9), and The Cutting Room in New York City (Oct. 10).
