PAPERBACK

Selected poems & writings
Published 2015, USA
(Limited-Edition)

DESCRIPTION:

AFRO BLUE Visions from the Chant is the first publication of creative writings by Francisco Molina Reyes II. The selections presented in this book drew imagery and pulse from his experiences while growing up in El Barrio, living, breathing, and consuming the rich cultural intricacies of the Puerto Rican/Nuyorican and Black communities. They celebrate the transformative energies of African Diasporan musics and rhythms, and pay tribute to the Legends of those various interpretations. Of those figures, AFRO BLUE Visions from the Chant embodies a special heartfelt remembrance for the master percussionist known as Ramon 'Mongo' Santamaría -- composer of the original Jazz standard 'Afro Blue'. Many of the textual riffs contained in this collection were set off after the author experienced the Afro-Cuban Music master and his band performing at the infamous Village Gate in New York City (1989).