Anima Mundi

– General Description:
Argentine guitarist/composer Cristian Perez gathers classical and jazz influences to make his own splendid music. The Cristian Perez Quintet includes Yana Hristova on flute and piccolo, Daniel Brown on upright bass, Bruno Lucini on drums, and Emmanuel Trifilio on bandoneon (a type of concertina - think accordion - that is used in many tango ensembles).

The CD title – “Anima Mundi” (“Soul of the World”) – is an idea that originated in one of Plato's dialogues – “this world is indeed a living being endowed with a soul and intelligence ... a single visible living entity containing all other living entities, which by their nature are all related.” i.e. We have a soul, ergo the world has a soul which consists of all living things. (What happens after we die will have to be another CD.)

“Anima Mundi” features original material, along with three covers: “El Condor Pasa”, “Moon River” (the only track w/vocals) and “Libertango”. All tracks are excellent listening and should delight any audience that treasures instrumentals.

– FCC Compliant: YES
– Recommended Tracks: 1, 3, 5, 7, 10
– Track Reviews:
1. (6:04) El Condor Pasa - “the condor passes by”; instrumental cover of a 1913 musical piece based on an Andean folk tune by the Peruvian composer Daniel Alomía Robles; best-known American cover w/lyrics is by Simon & Garfunkel and called “El Condor Pasa (If I Could)"
2. (4:47) La Flor Que Nunca Te Di - “the flower what never to you I give”, i.e. “the flower I never gave you”; mellow instrumental piece
3. (3:43) The Persistent Elephant - really fun Indian flavored instrumental with a lively flute; Haroon Alam on tablas - a percussion instrument similar to bongos
4. (3:22) Longing - mysterious and languorous instrumental
5. (6:02) Journey Of An Exhausted Penguin - quiet and lovely instrumental
6. (6:24) Luna Furtiva - “moon secretive”, i.e. “secret moon”; take an evening stroll and listen to the night; instrumental
7. (5:32) Relentless Dragon In Agony - Asian influenced instrumental; graceful and sad; cello is added played by Devree Lewis
8. (7:05) Moon River - written by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer; vocalist is Lynn Veronneau (of the group Veronneau) with Kevin Elam performing backing vocals
9. (4:42) Hojas Podridas - “rotten leaves”; quick dancing tempo; Victor Provost on steel pan
10. (3:54) Libertango - “free tango”; fast moving tango, very fun; cover of Astor Piazzolla’s famous “Libertango” with Yana Hristova on flute, Emmanuel Trifilio on bandoneon, and a nice drum solo by Joe McCarthy
11. (2:14) Footprints In The Wind - smooth instrumental; very much a nice-afternoon-outside feeling to it