tino contreras: musica infinita

The debut release from Gilles Peterson new imprint, Arc Records, drops tomorrow. Musica Infinita by Mexican drummer and composer Tino Contreras is a psychedelic, experimental jazz record, originally released in 1978, that marked a daring step forward by the Mexico City-based musician - now re-issued for a chance to reach wider audiences and be celebrated for another thirty years. invaluable work by Peterson, as usual.

Several years ago, Petterson bought a copy of Musica Infinita before a gig in Japan, and it soon became one of his most cherished discoveries; he was awed by its otherworldly blend of jazz fusion and psychedelia. After being introduced to Carlos Icaza, a record collector and musician, Icaza suggested a meeting with Contreras who, at 95, is still active and based in Mexico City. Soon enough, the three of them were sat down together and agreed upon a plan to re-issue Musica Infinita.

The album is the product of a long, varied musical development for Contreras, and of his productive partnership with Estrella Newman, a scholar who championed pre-Columbian culture and Mexico’s experimental traditions, Filtering local traditions through American-influenced jazz lense, Contreras’ playing and compositions achieves an unique sound, delighting us with the opportunity of delving into an especially bright moment for an artist whose legacy is surely due for greater attention. Available on a very limited private press (probably already gone), Musica Infinita is legacy.

Praises of the most high to Arc Records.

The group name adopted for the album, Quinto Sol, reflects the influence of the Aztec Calendar, a concept which Contreras and Newman were inspired to build their shared musical project around. It’s a concept based around an Aztec carved stone structure, known as the Sun Stone, discovered in the late eighteenth century, believed to outline five periods – or suns – which explain the transformations of the earth.