Latin Jazz Collective DDLO or Descargas de la Onda Release New EP “Suenos de Luna y Mar” To Exceptional Reviews

Making Oakland CA their home base this latin jazz cooperative will make you sit up and listen to their almost evocative and sensual joining of Latin flavor and jazz zest.

The melding of various influences on what you hear include exotic tastes of flamenco, deep slow moving soul, a splash of alternative rock and inviting lyrics.

The DDLO is in essence a saucy collective of Latin music recitation. This group was originally brought about by the talents of I.J. Smith, a seasoned composer and multi-instrumentalist and professional jazz musician, who’s previously released work has a mesmerizing combination of all the above mentioned attributes.

The opening for “El Mundo Fosforescente” is exotic and immediately makes your entire body move. I must have a copy of this music. It’s rhytmics and when the lyrics come forth they bring you further in to the mix. I could not stop swaying in my chair and eventually had to get up and get moving. Excellent. The raw electric guitar near the end gives it an entirely different feel yet filled it out.

It’s not uncommon for artists who fuse various styles of music to fall to the way side quickly. It’s sometimes to much of a confusing mix, but….that’s not what we find with DDLO. These guys make the fusion of Latin music mixed with textures of jazz and other various rhythmic tones work… and it works well.

El Dia Que El Payaso” is masterful with some of the skillful acoustics and percussion rhythms I’ve not heard in a long time. The lead lines and trumpet solos fascinate the listener. The Spanish lyrics add to the invitation of the melody. This album is filled with superb guitar work from Spanish essence to almost a psychedelic feel on “El Pulpo y la Luna.” At times it almost feels like a mish mosh of erratic sounds that really shouldn’t work together but they do, perfectly. Once the main accent of the music comes in it takes a different turn and the journey is interesting.

I must say this artist is an emotional and passionate artist, fully imprinted with the style and texture of what they hope to present. They will have your heart pumping and your feet moving.

For me Cuban swing/rhythms are sensual and sexy. They allow you to fully immerse your body and your soul in to the music, to the pulse of the beat.

Nostalgia Majestuoso” is absolutely lovely. The gentle yet pulling in of the acoustic guitar took me to Old Mexico on a trip back in time. I felt like a sultry senorita dancing for my lover. This one was one of my favorites. I could almost sing my own lyrics to it as I memorized the melody immediately. Superb.

Accolades for this group are impressive as they opened for Digital Underground – Lenny Kravitz on the HORDE Festival Tour.

Musicians performing on this album are I.J. Smith on guitars, percussion and congas. Then we have Pablo Conte on drums and percussion, Eric Marshall on upright bass and Tony DaQuipa also on congas and drums. Adrian Gormeley does a great job on sax, bass and clarinet while Bill Swan is showing some up with some wild trumpet. This collection was produced by IJ Smith and presents in the styles of Cumbia, Son, Chicha, and Latin Jazz. They have been likened to artists such as Chicha Libre, Los Miticos Del Ritmo, and Mark Ribot.

https://soundcloud.com/ddlaonda/sets/suenos-de-luna-y-mar

This four track collection has created a deep desire in me….to take salsa lessons.

For more information on this artist you can visit the sites below:

Note: All media links and photos courtesy of Independent Music Promotions.

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About Sherryl Craig 410 Articles
Sherryl is a Senior Writer and Assistant Editor with Nashville Music Guide and her blog, Lyrics N Legends has been featured since 2012. Her articles has graced the cover and have appeared as feature stories in the NMG print edition. She is also a member of WMMW, Women of Music Music of Women, a non-profit organization in support of women in the music industry. WMMW also appears here in Nashville Music Guide.

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