Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

This looks intriguing: it is not very often Cross Rhythms is sent an album with a picture of an Aztec shield on it. The album sub-title makes matters clear: “From Araujo To Zipoli: An A To Z Of Latin American Baroque”. Whether listing all the composers featured helps I know not, but here they are: Araujo, Fernandes, Franco, Lobo, Padilla, Zéspedes, and Zipoli. Not forgetting “Anonymous”. Their dates span the 16th and 17th centuries. What is particularly interesting is that these composers were working in “New Spain” (what we would call Latin America). Sad to say, the end result sounds not unlike many other baroque collections although that may be no bad thing. From the cover I was hoping for something more exotic but, having thought about it a little more, I suppose it was inevitable that the Spanish missionaries would prefer to impose European music on the conquered “natives” than to try to follow local culture.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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