CAPRE (CHICAGO AFRO-PUERTO RICAN ENSEMBLE)
OLD TOWN SCHOOL OF FOLK MUSIC, 30 MAY 2012

Review and photos by Bill Tilford, all rights reserved

The Chicago Afro-Puerto Rican Ensemble is a 19-piece project sponsored by the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center in Chicago and led by artistic director Jorge Emmanueli Náter, a renowned Bomba and Plena artist.   The group plays a number of original compositions that are based on historic variations of Bomba and Plena rhythms and use a combination of folkloric instruments such as the marimbula and modern instruments such as the trap drum.  The arrangements themselves range from the folkloric to fusion pieces incorporating blues, funk and jazz.  Throw in a large and sometimes- wailing brass section, and you have something new. 

This concert was CAPRE's public debut after being in rehearsals since August 2011.  The hall was sold out, and the concert was explosive.  The audience was asked not to dance due to the fact that the ensemble had some demonstration dancers, but at the end of the concert, the crowd got into a Plena with the front of the band.  This was a great start for this interesting ensemble, and we look forward to future performances.