Nicolás Lell Benavides attracts from his deep familial and native heritage in New Mexico to craft a strong voice in his debut album, Canto Caló (releasing on October 10, by Aerocade Music). This assortment of works is not only a musical endeavor; it’s a heartfelt tribute to his grandparent’s legacy and the colourful tradition of his dwelling state. Every bit displays a nuanced perspective, exploring shifts in point-of-view and time throughout two multimovement works.
The title piece, designed for mezzo-soprano and string quartet, employs perspective as a key expressive and organizational factor. It options 5 songs impressed by various sources, together with a conventional nursery rhyme, unique lyrics penned by Benavides and mezzo-soprano Melinda Martinez Becker, and even a poignant poem by Benavides’ grandfather. The phrase Canto Caló (“I sing Caló/Caló Songs”) alludes to a novel language developed by the Pachucos, intertwining parts of Spanish and English. This cultural heritage represents a motion that has developed from its Chicano roots within the Southwestern United States, the place the Pachucos, recognized for his or her Zoot Fits, initiated a broader nationwide identification.
Two tracks, “El Zapatero” and “Bueno,” take a light-hearted method, humorously reflecting on familial connections—Becker’s grandmother and Benavides’ grandfather, respectively. Significantly, “Bueno” showcases Benavides’ lyrical expertise, weaving Pachuco phrases with nostalgic reminiscences of his grandfather, who would typically reply with “bueno” to convey normal settlement.
The piece “Canción de Guerra” shifts to a extra somber tone, characterised by hauntingly clear string textures. Right here, Becker affords a heartfelt and managed interpretation of a poem by Benavides’ grandfather, who served within the Korean Warfare. The poem grapples with themes of responsibility to at least one’s race and nation, because it entwines ambiguous reflections on the absurdities surrounding battle and conscription.
In “Ni el cielo,” the music is each concise and radiant, with a gem-like high quality that evokes surprise. Its understated but dense character leaves an enduring impression. The concluding monitor contrasts sharply, providing a energetic rhythmic pulse the place Benavides channels the essence of New Mexico by a personality impressed by his grandparents. The vitality intensifies, significantly within the repeated phrases starting with “Me gusta,” resulting in a heat and fulfilling decision.
Benavides’ string quartet, El Correcaminos, named after New Mexico’s state chook, weaves the roadrunner as an overarching theme. Perspective performs an intensive function, with every motion exploring how completely different teams understand the roadrunner over time: the Nineteenth-century Individuals, earlier Mexican and Spanish settlers, the Hopi folks, and finally, the roadrunner’s personal imagined self-perception.
The motion “Chapparral Chook” begins with delicate trills and pointillistic textures that evolve into vivid gestural soundscapes, slowly revealing melodies that shift from tentative to exuberant, incorporating glissandi and resonant harmonies harking back to fiddle and mandolin traditions. This motion additionally attracts from Bartók’s harmonic language and Copland’s melodic constructions. The second motion is brisk, introducing hand percussion on the string devices, escalating right into a pizzicato section, which finally blossoms into richer textures marked by energetic, contrasting rhythms.
The third motion, “Tadai,” is succinct and targeted, with repetitions that create a spiral impact, radiating from a central thought. Benavides skillfully manages the emotional tones of those contrasting phrases, intensifying their expressions whereas forming a novel sound world. The concord is strikingly stunning, with symmetrical observe groupings that carry a way of fragmented stability. The Friction Quartet’s efficiency is exceptional, exemplifying persistence and refinement that enhances the music’s refined qualities.
“Cyx” revisits themes from earlier actions, aiming to mirror on the roadrunner’s multifaceted identification as seen by numerous teams. At instances, earlier sections reappear sequentially, whereas in others, they mix by layering and recombination. The Friction Quartet efficiently crafts a way of anticipation and momentum, culminating in hovering melodies and a return at hand percussion, though this juxtaposition could really feel considerably clichéd. Nonetheless, the emotional impression stays potent and fascinating.
One among Benavides’ most profound strengths lies in his skill to seize a novel perspective by music. This expertise shines most brightly in “Tadai,” the place the music feels significantly resonant. Whereas some moments could present delicate indicators of cliché, this on no account detracts from the general expertise. In essence, Canto Caló is a deeply transferring album that powerfully expresses the love and dedication Benavides and his collaborators have for New Mexico and its folks.
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