The Tambor Y Canto Company’s new album La Segunda opens with a treatise on the unjust, filthy, corrupt system. Blending jazz with numerous kinds of South American and Caribbean traditional music, the septet features four master percussionists who sing and dance while beating their drums to ancestral rhythms. Playing instruments from different countries, the percussionists are Rocco Sedano, Patinho Axé, Julio Molina Perez and Daniel Ochoa Licero. Their instruments come from Argentina, Brazil, Cuba and Colombia, respectively.

The Tambor Y Canto Company was founded in 2013 in Marseille under the direction of pianist, composer and arranger Simon Bolzinger. Besides having a background in classical and jazz music, Bolzinger spent two years living and performing in Venezuela. Since 1993, he has served as Artistic Director of the PICANTE Association in Marseille (www.assocpicante.com). The other two members of this seven-piece ensemble are saxophonist Olivier Temime and bassist Willy Quiko. Mainly playing the tenor sax, Temime is known as “one of the liveliest improvisers on the European scene.” Of Guadeloupe and Sicilian origins, Willy Quiko has participated in many projects mixing jazz, classical, African, Latin America and Caribbean music.

Passionate about South American and Caribbean traditional music, the musicians of The Tambor Y Canto Company clearly strive for authenticity while also putting a contemporary foot forward with their radiant, alluring sounds of their own bonded creation.  Interesting rhythms, melodies and texts were introduced to us on their 2017 debut album Tambor y Canto that took us to Peru. Now, La Segunda (The Second) transports us primarily to Colombia. Standout tracks include “Coisas Da Vida,” “Sistema” and “Candelaria Quebradeña.” While not only producing enthralling music with an alluring groove, they denounce the corruption of certain political, financial and religious systems, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with making a clarion call for social justice and equity in this day and age. (Joe Ross, Roots Music Report)