Album Review: Miguel 'Angá' Diaz - Echu Mingua (World Circuit)

Writer: John Armstrong 

Just when you were beginning to suffer from Buena Vista overkill fatigue, along come a trio of World Circuit albums that turn the whole concept of Cuban music on its head. First, we had the bassist Cachaito, with his Mingus-inspired take on traditional Cuban rhythms; then along came trumpeter Guajiro Mirabal with a non-pareil demonstration of progressive Cuban jazz trumpet. Now, and perhaps the most audacious of the three, we see master conguero Miguel ‘Anga’ Diaz. The first thing to be said about this dazzling display of eerily familiar originality is that the thirteen tracks are indented, but play as one continuous soundtrack if you prefer. This is not a record for the shuffle/repeat car hi-fi wimps - once you tune into Echua Mingua, you’re in it for the long haul.

There is a strongly spiritual feel to the percussion, but this isn’t a dry Guaguanco/Rumba/Columbia technique demonstration. The clave is there throughout, but there are no definitively ‘traditional’ compositions. Rather, the whole has a joyous processional feel; not a carnival procession, but an ancient, half-remembered procession from some Atlantean civilization. Malian Baba Cissoko provides the Mandingo colourwash; pianists Ruben Gonzalez and Chucho Valdes work their sharply opposed magic – the former warm and nostalgic, the latter unforgiving, modal and aggressive. North African flautist Magik Malik adds elements of Moorish mystery, whilst French DJ Dee Nasty shows once again how he’s one of the most original turntablists in the Latin spectrum (check his Verve remixes that came as giveaways in the mid-90s with cult French magazine ‘L’Affiche’ if you can find them).

San Juan Y Martinez segues into Rezos and then Pueblo Nuevo, establishing the hieratic atmosphere that soaks this session. Coltrane’s A Love Supreme is taken at a respectful tempo, but with sufficient twists and turns around the theme to satisfy African American and Cuban jazz fans alike. The tricky-tempo classic Sandunga Mondongo Gandinga (here just abbreviated to Gandinga) gets a loft-jazz treatment but keeps the 9/8 signature. Freeform is the clubbers’ cut, with Dee Nasty cutting a vocal chorus sample repeatedly against Anga’s drum. Finally, Conga Carnaval tips its hat to Santiago Carnival rhythms, bringing the procession theme full-circle.

As with all World Circuit product, of course, packaging and presentation is almost as important as content. Here we have naïve Cuban artwork that complements the almost-supernatural pre-Columbian feel of the performance.

Not ‘just’ a great Cuban record. A great record, period.

RELATED LINKS:
World Circuit - label home to Miguel 'Anga' Diaz



Buy Angá's Echu Mingua album at Amazon UK (CD)




PUBLISHED: 11 July 2005

RELEASED DATE: 21 March 2005 (UK) .

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