Pianist Jason Yeager melds musical environs of rich post bop chamber with a politically progressive message on this recent album. The core of Yeager with Fernando Huergo/b and Mark Walker/dr mix and match with horns supplied by Milena Casado/fj, Cosimo Boni/tp, Matthew Stubbs and cellist Naseem Alatrash for some ebullient sounds. Vocalist Erini sings lovely breathy Spanish lyrics to soft and rich lilts on “Gracias A La Vida” and “Aqui Me Quedo.” In English, Faray Malek gives challenging messages to Yeager’s somber piano on “The Facts” and gives a passionate read on “CInco Siglos Igual.” Yeager plays to a military march on “Progest” and leads a dramatic Boni on ‘Mother Earth” while some rich Afro Cuban pulsations that close out “ Apesar de Voce.”
The liner notes give a protest against slavery, global warming and migration issues, mostly from an MSNBC point of view. Good talking points if they’re meant for a dialogue, if so, a recommendation of anything by Thomas Sowell such as Ethnic America, Conquest and Cultures or Migration and Cultures would be great means for a conversation.