LA Phil Releases Yanga ft. Tambuco

Last year, the Mexican percussion ensemble Tambuco had the pleasure of performing Gabriela Ortiz's piece Yanga with the LA Phil which was also recorded and now, we can happily say that the record has been released by the LA Phil.

Gabriela Ortiz, known for her orchestral music which showcases "bright colors, vivacious rhythms, tuneful melodies and bold ideas", won three Grammy's in Feburary. This new record features her piece, Yanga, the story of Gaspar Yanga, an African prince brought to Mexico as a slave. After escaping, Gaspar Yanga became a fugitive and eventually founded the first free town in America. Ortiz's piece puts the story into music, making it a musical journey towards freedom.

"Ortiz exploits the chorus almost as another percussion instrument, trading polyrhythmic beats with the Tambuco players on a variety of Afro-Latin instruments including batá drums, shekeres, caxixi and guiros." (read the album's review here)

"The four-member Tambuco Percussion Ensemble was engaged for the extensive percussion scoring. A passage for the quartet alone put their virtuosity on full display, before they seamlessly melded with orchestra and chorus." (read the concert's review here)

The album can be streamed on most platforms such as Spotify and is available for purchase here. To hear Gabriela Ortiz speak about the piece herself : listen here.