What happens when you bring the gong music of the Southern Philippines and the folkloric rhythms of Afro-Cuba together?

This album continues along the trajectory of collaborations between Chris Trinidad and Bo Razon.  This time, Conrad Benedicto, a protege of the late kulintang master Danongan Sibay Kalanduyan, joins along for the ride.  Shared folkloric rhythmic motifs between Africa and Cuba converge and collide with the melodic modal materials of the kulintang traditions of the Maguindanao and the Maranao peoples of the Southern Philippines.  While there are no known musical bridges between these worlds, we are given an opportunity to re-imagine creative possibilities while respecting their unique origins.  The results are exploratory, exciting, and enthralling!  

PERSONNEL: Conrad Benedicto: kulintang, dabakan, gandingan, agung; Bo Razon: congas, okonkolo, itotele, iya, achere, saronay, gandingan, agung; Chris Trinidad: babendil, gandingan, agung, clave, sartenes, guataca, guagua, campana; Mario Salomón: bongó, timbal, güiro, chekere; José Sanchez: quinto

GENRES: World Fusion, Kulintang, Afro-Cuban, Percussion

INFLUENCES: Palabuniyan Kulintang Ensemble, Kulintang Dialect, Afrocuba de Matanzas

RELEASE YEAR: 2022

ALBUM CODE: IRK 2022 01