Sasar lan musik, album debut Alex E. Chávez, Sonorous Present, nyebarake meditasi sonik babagan kerugian, migrasi, lan ngurangi liwat perbatasan Amérika, minangka tempat fisik lan ruang liminal. Apa sing dimulai minangka pertunjukan improvisasi ing taun 2019-diinspirasi saka musik lan poetics saka buku pemenang penghargaan Chávez Sounds of Crossing: Music, Migration, and the Aural Poetics of Huapango Arribeño (Duke 2017)—diwenehi minangka album studio kanthi kolaborasi karo produser Grammy Award-winning Quetzal Flores.

Kira-kira empat taun ing nggawe, Sonorous Present minangka pernyataan sing luar biasa saka Chávez—artis, sarjana, lan borderlands sonic theorist sing dikenal kanggo karya urip lan ing rekaman karo Dos Santos (International Anthem), Caramelo Haze (Nacional Records), Smithsonian Folkways, uga kolaborasi karo penyair Meksiko legendaris lan musisi huapango Guillermo Velázquez, pemenang Grammy Award Quetzal lan Grupo Fantasma, lan anggota Grammy-nominasi Black Pumas lan Antibalas. Ing Sonorous Present, Chávez nyedhiyakake kabeh peran-peran iki nalika nglakoni adegan-adegan berpengaruh ing penghormatan kanggo urip lan kematian kakak, ibu, lan ayah. Hasil punika suite sing apik lan nyedhiyakake jantung sing nyaring liwat surreal sunburst saka perbatasan musik lan budaya Amérika ngandika liwat cerita pribadi saka ngluwihi migran, kesedihan, lan politik wektu kita.

Ngrekam ing Los Angeles lan Chicago, eksplorasi dinamis saka suara regional Meksiko lan Amerika Latin lan tradisi diwenehi ing Sonorous Present dening pengaturan avant-jazz lan rekaman lapangan, karo puisi ditulis lan diwenehi dening penulis terkenal lan penyair Roger Reeves (Guggenheim fellow, finalist National Book Award, lan Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award lan Griffin Poetry Prize penerima). Ngandhut luminaris saka donya son tradisional Meksiko, jazz, lan R & B - kalebu, Martha Gonzalez (2022 MacArthur Fellow), Aloe Blacc (2015 Grammy Award nominasi), Ramón Gutiérrez (of Son de Madera), lan Lucía Gutiérrez Rebolloso (Winner of the 2022 Sarah Vaughn International Jazz Vocal Competition) - suite iki ngleksanakake medan estetika

Sampun pengumuman saiki, single utama album “cómplices de luto” (komplikasi ing menangis) saiki kasedhiya ing kabeh platform musik digital kanthi video animasi sing apik disusun dening Estudio Pneuma kanthi kolaborasi karo Celestial Brizuela.

Suka lagu wis vokal duet dening Chávez lan Laura Cambrón—lauded son jarocho musician, activist, and veteran of the Los Angeles and Chicago Mexican folk music scenes. A paced huapango rhythm cradles the wistful voices of Cambrón and Chávez, ushered along by Matt Ulery’s whimsical string arrangements, all of which finally crescendos into a melancholic dirge reminiscent of mariachi laments in the tradition of western Mexico’s son de la tierra caliente.

Hauntingly tender and at times cutting, Sonorous Present confidently places Chávez’s songcraft and lyricism on display, highlighting an assured, empathetic voice, as well as his seasoned musicianship and scholarly work. He elaborates the deep and multitudinous possibilities of grief and healing through verse, melody, and ethnographic songwriting. As Roger Reeves explains, “often, we think of elegies as commemorations, as moments of sadness, but really, an elegy is about the praise of something. You can’t mourn something you don’t love.”

Chávez’s first solo album is a tour de force marking a crucial moment in the career of an artist fully integrating all dimensions of his work and talents to reimagine the creative horizons of what a studio album can sound like and the multi-modal forms scholarship can take, all while boldly exploring the sonorous politics of borders.

Sonorous Present is out October 18th, 2024 through Artivist Entertainment.

<pfseg id="0">"Sehat, sing ringkas, "catalina" diwenehi kakak-kakak saya -Catalina - kang dadi mangsa fatal saka kekerasan domestik ing umur 18 taun, lagu saka kesedihan lan penyesalan, aku nguripake yen aku ora bisa ngalahake karo dheweke: "Ing ngendi, kabeh runtuh tanpa sampeyan; malah saka refleksi dhewe, aku nonton sampeyan ing cermin. "