The headline does not do justice to the recording career of Peruvian drummer/percussionist Alex Acuña. While Weather Report may indeed be the biggest marquee name, Acuña was an in-demand Los Angeles session musician for decades, having appeared on nearly 900 studio records and half a dozen soundtracks while releasing a half dozen of his own albums as leader.
Gifts, may well be Acuña’s most dynamic and varied offering. He has reunited his band, The Unknowns, who backed him on two previous efforts, well-spaced with 1990’s Thinking of You. 2005’s No Accent, and now Gifts 17 years later: just three recordings in a 32-year span. The Unknowns are Venezuelan keyboardist Otmaro Ruiz, Peruvian guitarist Ramon Stagnaro and New York City-born, Puerto-Rican-bred bassist John Peña. Joining them is energetic Peruvian tenor saxophonist Lorenzo Ferrero, rounding out a group that can go in multiple directions, from fusion to funk and soul-jazz as well as the atmospheric and the Latin and Brazilian strains. Cellist Giovanna Clayton, trumpeter Michael Stever, and vocalists Diana and Regina Acuña appear on select tracks to broaden the colorful palette.
“In Town,” the opener, sets an upbeat, jaunty groove, motored by Peña’s funky bass line and imbued by unison melody from Stagnaro, Ruiz, and Ferrero, with the latter two soloing brightly. “Postlude,” enriched by Clayton’s cello, evokes Weather Report-ish harmonics and features fluid guitar work from Stagnaro as they deftly navigate the start-stop rhythm. They honor two giants as well, first with a faithful rendering of Joe Zawinul’s soul-jazz classic, “Mercy Mercy” (a tune written during Zawinul’s tenure with Cannonball Adderley’s quintet) and a percussion-driven, flowing take on Herbie Hancock’s “One Finger Snap,” (from Hancock’s 1964 Blue Note Empyrean Isles). The latter highlights Stagnaro and Ferrero, paired with Diana Acuña, whose voice serves as a second horn. Ruiz, who constantly shifts from acoustic to electric piano throughout the album, turns in a glistening acoustic solo here and it’s one of the few places where the leader steps out. If blindfolded it would be challenging to identify the leader of this group as Acuña rarely puts the spotlight on himself, preferring instead to put the emphasis on the band.
“Amandote” is a floating ballad, carried by Ruiz’s horn-sounding synth paired with guest Michael Stever’s trumpet. The band revs it up on the hard-hitting Latin percussion-infused “Chuncho” where the two vocalists chant along to the frenetic leader who is all over his kit and congas. Ferrero exerts more powerful thrusts and Stagnaro plays the Cuban-styled tres. “Divina” then calms it all down, as Clayton’s cello and Ferrero’s soprano sax form a blend of gorgeous lyricism, underpinned by Ruiz’s piano., “Regalo” is also a serene piece. Composed by Acuña, it’s an atmospheric, ethereal cinematic piece, emblematic of the many films he has contributed to.
Standout track “Melancia” takes us to Brazil with Stagnaro’s nylon string guitar stirring a samba groove, Diana delivering wordless vocals, Peña authoring a tumbao bass line while the sax and guitar play tight unison passages. Solos from Ruiz and Stagnaro also brighten this uplifting piece. The album closed with the Latin-styled “Aletin Aletun” (a nickname for Acuña) as Ferrero blows aggressively, Stever hits the high notes, and Ruiz reaches back for a ‘70s-like synth solo. The leader caps it, stretching out a bit on drums and timbales.
Acuña entitled the album as he received these tunes from a potpourri of global composers. We, in turn, are the beneficiaries of these gifts, aural treasures and maybe the best recording in Acuña’s storied history. It’s clearly one of the very best in the short history of the nearly two-year-old Le Coq label.