Jorge Alfano: One Heart

Argentine musician Jorge Alfano is another culture-bridging musician, who creates a seamless, meditative weave on his new album, One Heart (Lyrichord 7431; 67:39). For the most part, it’s a contemplative venture suggesting mystical traditions from the Andes to India and the Far East, in which Alfano plays flutes and wind instruments, as well as the Raga Bass (an acoustic bass guitar) and the Latin American charango, over Randy Crafton’s unassuming hand percussion parts. Amit Chatterjee adds simple sitar colorations on “Saraswathi and Inti.” A quick glance at Alfano’s resume confirms his eclecticism, having studied Japanese and Indian music, played with Astor Piazzolla and Mercedes Sosa and beyond music, as a Clinical Hypno-therapist and Ordained Metaphysical Minister. All you need to know is that the end result makes a cohesive statement about musical universality, with no excess hubris or crossover aftertaste.

Originally Published October 1, 1997