The seed for the Dominican Jazz Project was planted in 2014 when Stephen Anderson (Professor and Director of Jazz Studies at University of North Carolina) went to Santo Domingo with clavietta player Guillo Carias for the first annual Jazzomania Festival. There, Anderson met and formed close friendships with Sandy Gabriel (saxophone), Guy Frómeta (drums), David Almengod (percussion, voice) and others. Besides performing at clubs and festivals, their 2016 eponymously-titled release was nominated for a Grammy Award. Now, recorded remotely during the 2020 pandemic, Desde Lejos (meaning “From Afar”) presents an enchanting jazz repertoire full of originality, imagination, joy and good creative energy. The musicians are also joined by solid rhythm players on bass, drums, percussion and coro.     

Besides the artistic expression and excellent musicality on the album, there’s also an intellectual side because Anderson’s study of Dominican traditional music discovered a variety of lesser known grooves not commonly played in Latin jazz today outside of the Dominican Republic. Anderson’s five compositions, like “Sin Palabras” and “Un Cambio de Ritmo” on Desde Lejos evolved from his study of Dominican piano tumbao patterns, as well as other traditional grooves such as the Mangulina, Pambiche, Ga-Ga, and Palo. “Ritmos de Baní,” is based on the Sarandunga rhythm from Baní, a town not far from Santo Domingo.

Guillo Carias penned “Si Tu Supieras” and it’s a nice showpiece for his clavietta, as well as Mayquel Gonzalez’s trumpet that appears on three tracks. The clavietta, a type of melodica, sounds a bit like a chromatic harmonica. Guitarist Carlos Luis’ contributions, “Una Mas” and “Como un Rayo Ciego” provide a nice dynamic switch (from the more upbeat jazz fusion sounds) to some that feature his earthy vocals and balladic reflections. The Dominican Jazz Project emphasizes a sophisticated and elaborate style of congenial music with a message, and Desde Lejos has expressions that are purely Dominican but also travel well abroad.  (Joe Ross, Roots Music Report)