Former Weather Report Drummer Alex AcuÃ±a , His First Album as a Leader in 17 Years. Runs a Stylistic Gamut from Funk to Fusion Brazilian Flavored Jazz.

The incredible journey of Alex AcuÃ±a has seen the renowned drummer-percussionist travel from his small rural hometown in Peru to being a first-call session drummer in the country's capital city, Lima, then touring the United States with mambo king PÃ©rez Prado, gigging in Las Vegas with Elvis Presley and ultimately touring internationally with Weather Report, the premiere fusion band of the mid-1970s. An in-demand Los Angeles session musician for decades, he has appeared on nearly 900 studio records and movie soundtracks while also releasing half a dozen albums under his own name.

His latest as a leader, the dynamic Gifts, reunites him with his musical cohorts from The Unknowns -- Venezuelan keyboardist Otmaro Ruiz, Peruvian guitarist RamÃ³n Stagnaro and New York City-born, Puerto-Rican-bred bassist John PeÃ±a -- that band that AcuÃ±a's led on 1990's Thinking of You and 2005's No Accent.

Joined by Peruvian tenor sax powerhouse Lorenzo Ferrero, this gifted and versatile crew runs the stylistic gamut from funk to fusion, soul-jazz, ambient, Latin and Brazilian flavored jazz on Gifts. "These guys can play more than one style," AcuÃ±a said. "And I like to play with musicians that I don't have to tell them what to play. It's fun to play with them. They understand my musical lingo."

Regarding the album title, AcuÃ±a said: "I call it Gifts because, first of all, God gave me the gift of music. And then each tune was a gift from some composer friend of mine." To be blessed with such immense talent was truly a gift. And now AcuÃ±a is passing on that gift to his many listeners with this heartfelt offering.

Gifts - Alex AcuÃ±a

Tracklist:

In Town
Postlude
Mercy Mercy
Amandote
Chuncho
Divina
One Finger Snap
Regalo
Melancia
Aletin Aletun

UPC: 760137110675
Label: Le Coq Records
Release Date: 9.23.22
Format: CD

Alex Acuña - Gifts (CD)