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La Noche de los Dioses

by Tino Contreras

supported by
StrangeFlow
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StrangeFlow Cosmographer said it all. Hope I'll still beat the shit out of my drums when I'm 96. Really beautiful jazz with some strange "death is calling you" vibes in it. Really cool! Favorite track: Al Amanecer.
Cosmographer
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Cosmographer NINETY SIX FUCKING YEARS OLD and counting, and still KILLING IT like a hormone-fueled teenage boy. We should all be embarrassed; we ain't worthy!

This record by legendary master drummer and band leader Contreras and his ensemble with some of the deepest cats of Mexico City is a must listen - a suite that flawlessly moves from track to track and covers everything from "Latin Jazz" to some Santanaesque jazz rock and the best shades of exotica. May Tino stay strong and creative for years to come! Favorite track: El Sacrificio.
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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Tracklist:
    A1 La Noche de los Dioses
    A2 Máscaras Blues
    A3 Naboró
    A4 Malinche
    B1 El Sacrificio
    B2 Al Amanecer
    B3 Niña Yahel

    Includes unlimited streaming of La Noche de los Dioses via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • La Noche de los Dioses CD
    Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

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    Tracklist

    1. La Noche de los Dioses
    2. Máscaras Blues
    3. Naboró
    4. Malinche
    5. El Sacrificio
    6. Al Amanecer
    7. Niña Yahel

    Includes unlimited streaming of La Noche de los Dioses via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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1.
2.
3.
Naboró 05:55
4.
Malinche 06:03
5.
6.
Al Amanecer 05:54
7.
Niña Yahel 05:46

about

From Mexico’s most established and prolific jazz musician, Brownswood Recordings is proud to present the new album from Tino Contreras, La Noche de los Dioses. Here, Tino Contreras presents a sonic gift; a kaleidoscope of evolving and shifting spiritual rumination about life and humanity. His new work features seven new recordings, contemporary jazz themes oscillating with 3/4 rhythms - written and recorded in Mexico City, 2020.

The love, beauty and challenges found within human connection are turned inside out through Contreras’ oscillating musical landscape; the drummer and jazz legend has melded his life of playing drums and composing music into a (another!) avant-garde experiment; a celestial reflection of the universe that we call home.

A second unfolding in the relationship between Gilles Peterson, Tino Contreras and musician and record collector Carlos Icaza, the LP was carved out by Contreras this year, following on from the reissue of Musica Infinita on Arc Records. Peterson first picked up a copy of Musica Infinita by Tino Contreras in Japan and in a serendipitous moment met Contreras back in 2019 in Mexico City, igniting the spark that led to the reissue and now to a new album on both of Peterson’s imprints. Contreras is joined by a host of musicians including his son, Valentino Contreras, on bass and Icaza on harmonic arps and pre-Hispanic percussion.

In Peterson’s words, “This record is amazing! It represents his entire career in one. It captures the nightclubs of Mexico, the blues, the decadence… it's a sassy subterranean cosmic sound…”

We are welcomed into the record with the title track La Noche de los Dioses, which draws on the two identities of the Goddess Coatlicue (representing both life and death) and the God Huitzilopochtli, who symbolises the war and the sun within Aztec culture. Originally composed in the 70’s, the track transcends through the seductive soprano sax and abundant keys. Following this, Máscaras Blues beckons us in on the search for these personas, the Goddess Coatlicue and God Huitzilopochtli, representing the masked rituals between Gods in lengthy ceremonies. The expansion of the rhythms in this track is hypnotic, with luxuriating waves of the piano solo that spin you round and round until finally crashing away, softly.

The third track Naboró offers a glimpse of the inner mind of the drummer, introducing Goddess Naboró who Contreras imagined to represent both rebellion and feminine strength. Teamed with the next track, Malinche, a piece of music that unravels the identity of the translator and connector between Spanish conqueror Hernán Cortés and the Aztec emperor Moctezuma II in a sanguine exploration of human intelligence, courage and integrity.

The fifth track, El Sacrificio, gestures to Contreras’ life on the road, weaving through his global travels from the last 50 years, landing in Turkey with a rhythm section fueled by ritual, climaxing in a whirlwind of characters and activity. The opulence is brought into meridian with the following track Al Amanecer, a purposeful but tranquil love letter to the daily dawn. It is “about the opportunity to be reborn into a new world”, says Tino Contreras. This optimistic pursuit underpins the album in full, highlighting Contreras’ restless and unfleeting energy to move the world forward. Niña Yahel, another identity emerging from Contreras’ imagination and a friend of his son Valentinos, representing hope for the future. This final piece offers both doubtless conviction in paying homage to the varied discography of Contreras and in rejuvenating the next generation with patience and force to go forth, aim higher.

Musicians:
Tino Contreras: Drums
Valentino Contreras: Electric Bass
Jaime Reyes: Piano and Keyboards
Emmanuel Laboriel: Electric Guitar
Luis Calatayud: Soprano and Tenor Sax - Conch Shell and Ocarina Flutes
Eduardo Flores: Bongos
Carlos Icaza: Harmonic Arps and pre-Hispanic Percussion
Marco Gallegos: Acoustic Guitar

credits

released October 23, 2020

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about

Tino Contreras Mexico City, Mexico

Born in 1924 in Chihuahua, in Northwest Mexico, Contreras developed a fascination with
drums as a very young child, raised by his father who led the OK Jazz Band orchestra. Tino moved to Ciudad Juárez where he formed his own orchestra. Tino has shared stages with many great musicians, contributing to Contreras' hypnotic sound fuelled by a flawless rhythm section plus unyielding brass and bass. ... more

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