Review: Sol y Canto and the
Springfield Symphony Orchestra

03/01/2004 (The Republican)

By GEORGE LENKER
glenker@repub.com

SPRINGFIELD, MA - Blending peppery beats with delicious Latin melodies, Sol y Canto and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra concocted a tasty sonic salsa Saturday night.     

Sol y Canto is a Cambridge-based Latin music group led by the husband and wife team of Brian and Rosie Amador. The eight-piece band joined the orchestra Saturday in a rousing display of evocative music.

Symphony conductor Kevin Rhodes and the string section of the orchestra warmed up the audience slowly with a few sambas and bossa novas before Sol y Canto took the stage.

The first of these, "Black Orpheus," featured pizzicato string work underpinning the mournful and mysterious melody carved out by first chair violinist Masako Yanagita. The second and third selections, "Oblivion" and "Corcovado," continued this pace effectively, using syncopated Latin bass lines to underscore the alternatively romantic and haunting tunes.

Sol y Canto then appeared and performed four songs without the orchestra. The first of these was a light, jazzy piece titled "Apullito de Aleli" which showcased compelling solos by bassist Carlos Del Pino and flutist Jon Weeks, who also later played saxophone. It understandably took a few minutes for the instruments' volume levels to be adjusted for the percussion-heavy band, but the eight pieces were sorted out by the second tune, "Papel de Plata."

This song featured vocalist Alan Del Castillo doubling on a series of ocarinas, which are oval-shaped clay flutes. The first ocarina played was a low-toned instrument, evocative of a whale's song. But as guitarist Brian Amador modulated keys, Del Castillo quickly and nimbly switched to increasingly higher pitched ocarinas, much to the audience's delight.

The third selection was the bluesy "Tonada de Luna," which rode on a pulsing guitar rhythm while Rosie Amador's vocals floated ethereally above. The third verse was sung a capella and resembled a motet, with Brian Amador anchoring the three-part harmony with a haunting, chant-like bass note.

This minor key piece was one of many during the night, and showed the oxymoron of the band's name: Sol y Canto means "sun and song" but their music often leads listeners into more shadowy corners of lost love and moonlit longing.

But Sol y Canto then switched gears with two fun songs, "Fiesta del Tren," and the festive "Brown Rice" - the lyrics to which Brian Amador admitted were actually a rice recipe. The orchestra then joined Sol y Canto for several pieces before intermission. The first was a bolero, the trumpet-fueled "Sabor a Mi," which was then followed by the urgent "Asi es Mi Tierra," which featured Sol y Canto keeping the throbbing pulse while the strings added dramatic counterpoint accents.

After intermission Sol y Canto did two songs alone. "Obsession" was a bolero, highlighted nicely by a Weeks' sax solo, and "Beso Discreto" ("A Discrete Kiss") featured both a lively pace and the percussive kissing sounds mouthed by the Amadors.

The orchestra then rejoined the fray for three final pieces, the last being a five-part sojourn through numerous Latin styles: bolero, guaracha, tango, bomba and a ballad. These final pieces, although mostly slow or mid-tempo, allowed Rosie Amador to showcase her clear, emotive voice. Although the faster, familiar Latin beats may have caught the audience members' ears, it was the slower more complex tunes that captured their hearts.

The evening wound up with a rousing encore, "Que Bonita Luna," which featured a hearty audience clap-along led by Rhodes.