On RICANO, saxophonist / composer / culturist Jonathan Suazo offers us a captivating Afro-Caribbean experience that presents themes of exploration, integration, and self-acceptance. The title RICANO combines the words Puertorriqueño & Dominicano, highlighting the artists' two heritages in a unique fusion that carves a new sound within the world of Latin Jazz.

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 The journey takes us back and forth from the potent sounds of Puerto Rican plena with "Somos más que tú"  to the exhilarating hits of Dominican Salve with “Heroes”. Strong vocals, chants and soaring solos add depth and emotion to tracks like "Don't take kindly", "Seguimos Luchando", "AFRO DOMI" and the uplifting "Dharma"; RICANO showcases the Afro-Caribbean experience by bringing the past, present, and future of this cultural heritage to the listener. ​

9- Esperanza Pa’ Mi Pueblo (feat. Christian Nieves, Anibal Cruz, Kike Serrano)

5- Verde Luz (feat. Tanicha López, Eduardo Zayas)

1- Héroes

is inspired by Puerto Rican Plena. I wrote this piece as a tribute to the late great TITO MATOS, an important cultural leader within the Puerto Rican community throughout the entire world. The title translates to “We are more than you” meaning that we are more than any oppressor or corrupt politician that comes into power and aims to produce pain on our people. It features “El Hijo de Borikén” on improvised “soneos” at the end with original chorus lyrics by me. In the spirit of RICANO, “Somos más que tú” brings two distinct sounds of Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic together by incorporating the Dominican Güira and the Puerto Rican Güícharo instruments throughout the composition via comping and featured back to back solos that give the listener a taste of these two caribbean instruments and the rich vocabulary that the players can develop on them. Echoing the harmonic form of “So What” by Miles Davis and “Impressions” by John Coltrane, this peace is a high energy example of the punch that PR & DR pack.

¡Somos Más Que Tú!

was inspired by the powerful sounds of Dominican Salve and one specific 1978 field recording of a Rosario (song of supplication) that I heard in 2016. I’ve dedicated this one to Enerolisa Nuñez and her daughter Yeni Nuñez, two leaders from the community of Mata los Indios -located in Villa Mella Dominican Republic- that’ve kept these sounds and traditions alive for many generations. I consider them Heroes. They were kind enough to receive me in their home during one of my research trips and I’m eternally grateful to them for sharing the space with me.

Héroes

dances on top of the Afro Puerto Rican rhythm Cuembé with a Soulful/joyfull harmonic bed and melody. It’s meant to instill hope. A friendly reminder that there is hope in the smallest and largest details. Hopefully it can land in the “make my day better” playlists of folks out there. Supporting vocal lines throughout, a killin’ Puerto Rican Cuatro Solo by the great Christian Nieves, a lyrical piano solo by Anibal Cruz and a soaring Bomba drum solo by Kike Serrano that send the track into the highest gear right before the ending.

Esperanza Pa’ Mi Pueblo

Verde Luz: A peaceful yet intense take on what is considered by many to be the 2nd anthem of Puerto Rico. I decided to split the arrangement into a meditative side with Tanicha Lopez on vocals and a harder hitting side in 4tet format to fully express the intensity of that separation from my homeland; echoing the spirit of John Coltrane’s 1963 version of “You Don't Know What Love” is in a way. Verde Luz resonates with all Puerto Ricans who’ve had to leave this land or have been away for extended periods of  time. The original lyrics and melody by Antonio Caban Vale “El Topo” are known by everyone in PR, they speak of being far from the beaches, the palm trees, and the need to come back and hopefully seeing Puerto Rico as a free land.

Verde Luz

AFRO DOMI is inspired by the coexistence of binary and ternary elements within the Afro Dominican style “PALO” which I became very interested in after I heard the Magic Mejía album “Santaría! Música de raíz” back in 2016. At its core, the composition is a rhythmic study based on the high pitches found in the main pattern of Palo. Who better to call to play on rhythmic modulation type compositions than, Puerto Rican legend, mentor and friend Miguel Zenón, who masterfully colors the melody and solo with his unique approach as I join him on the Tenor Sax.

AFRO DOMI

Don’t Take Kindly: This composition is embedded with a slightly broken ¾ feel and a  modified Puerto Rican Yubá pattern. Don’t Take Kindly was born out of the need to express my frustration with racism when I moved to Boston. I had never experienced this 1st hand, and as I built friendships with my black brothers and sisters I came to understand just how similar our situation in the states is when it comes to this topic… Thanks to my mentors and friends I was able to learn that you have to be extra vigilant of your behavior when you’re black and brown here. It seems like someone's always watching closely, waiting for you to slip so they can get rid of you. Being unfairly punished tenfold for things that a white person would get away with in the form of a simple sitdown convo is the order of the day. Just taking a glance at everything that’s happened from 2020 to now is enough to make my blood boil. WE DON’T TAKE KINDLY TO BEING TREATED LIKE THIS is the phrase that I kept repeating in my head when I wrote this. What came out was a consistent “Hmmm/Chant” that I built the composition on top of. This track is my way of expressing this anger in a healthy way. I feel these emotions channeled in the deepest way when I hear Dominican Congo, American Gospel music, Puerto Rican plena lamento, Puerto Rican Bomba and American Work songs. Vibing off of the eternally influential Kenny Garrett in his Albums “Beyond The Wall” and “Sounds from the Ancestors”, this track is a very personal one.

Don't Take Kindly

Seguimos Luchando: Is inspired by Dominican Congo and Puerto Rican Sicá. It features Grammy Award Winning Tenor Saxophonist David Sanchez and multi-talented vocalist Tanicha Lopez. This composition speaks to any individual fighting for their cause against an oppressive force. This track includes a sample extracted from a speech given by the great Puerto Rican nationalist Dr Pedro Albizu Campos. The selected segment of the speech translates to:

“This generation has an immense privilege. The privilege of challenging oppression and tyranny. How can we renounce our greatness? Why bury ourselves in a world of injustices, in a world of material greeds, in a world of bribes, in a world of slaves” This speech serves as a creative launching pad for the last alto saxophone solo.

Seguimos Luchando

Dharma: Dharma is an original composition that highlights the Afro Puerto Rican Bomba rhythm called "YUBÁ", a ternary rhythmic pattern that's very rich in musical vocabulary. The word Dharma means "Purpose in Life" and I wrote this piece contemplating on my mission on this earth. The piece takes the listener on a high energy, vibrating and melodic ride that invites you to sing, and welcomes healing, meditation and unity with repetitive chants.

Dharma

Amapola is a beautiful song written by Dominican legend Juan Luis Guerra. I’ve always loved this song and I wanted to add my unique approach to it. This instrumental arrangement combines Dominican Pambiche and Salve within a meditative sonic journey that rides on a warm harmonic bed with soothing guitars, pads, Sax effects and a sweet low end propeles the band forward, slowly, but firmly.

Amapola

Ser de Aqui: is about the constant challenge that being from Puerto Rico brings to the table due to the archipelago’s conflicting colonial status. Taking from the spirit of the Puerto Rican Jíbaro style of music called “Aguinaldo Lamento'', Ser de Aquí aims to take the listener on a journey that merges Jazz and Modern sounds with the essence of traditional Jíbaro music. It features Fabiola Méndez on voice and the Puerto Rican national instrument, The Cuatro. The lyrics tell the story of a boy who leaves his shell to face the challenging reality of the diaspora, looking back to his homeland and reflecting on what's to come, will he be able to come back one day? Will his people ever stop being trampled on? Will they ever be free?. The Alto Sax solo in this one is heavily inspired by the poetic rhythm in which Puerto Rican trovadores sing the aguinaldos.

Ser De Aquí

All around artist/composer/producer.
Tools: Saxophone, Flute, EWI

Jonathan Suazo

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