Cachito by Juan Pastor Chinchano

Drummer and percussionist Juan Pastor’s fourth and latest release, Cachito, shines in its maturity and emotional depth. The album highlights not only Pastor’s unique artistic voice and compositional prowess, but also the musicianship of his collaborators, including core bandmates Dustin Laurenzi, Stu Mindeman, and Matt Ulery, as well as several additional special guests. Dedicated to Pastor’s late father Carlos, the album is an exploration of grief and loss, of acceptance, of steadfast courage.

Un Cachito, in Pastor’s native Perú, refers to a little piece of something, its essence and flavor, its defining element. The album’s introductory track, Tu Voz, features Pastor’s steady cajón rhythm overlaid with a collage of tender audio messages sent by his father, woven together with lush and haunting organ and synth textures. “My dad’s voice is the strongest memory I have of him,” Pastor explains, “a little piece of him that remains behind.” Tu Voz leads into Pastor’s original Carlitos, based on the 12/8 Afro-Peruvian Festejo rhythm which Pastor explains “feels like home,” and evokes the natural bittersweet beauty within the process of grief. The quartet is joined by guest Victor Garcia on trumpet, trading fiery solos with tenor saxophonist Dustin Laurenzi. Track 3, Wayrapa Yuyay, is an original by pianist Stu Mindeman, and based on the Andean Huayno rhythm. As the Quechua title suggests, the composition evokes nostalgic memories of the mountain winds of the Andes, where Pastor’s father lived and traveled for many years, learning Peruvian folk music.
The album continues with Pastor’s composition La Lucha, whose explosive rhythms illustrate a perpetual fight against exploitation and injustice, a struggle Pastor’s father supported vigorously in Perú. Over the course of the composition, aided by guest Javier Quintana’s electrifying percussion, La Lucha’s themes transition from a syncopated 4/4 to 12/8, illustrating how despite changing material conditions, the fight must continue. Azúcar de Caña, originally composed by singer Daniel “Kiri” Escobar and arranged by pianist Stu Mindeman, evokes the sweetness of sharing the impermanence of life with friends. “My dad was always a people person,” Pastor explains, “always singing.” Tenor saxophonist Dustin Laurenzi and guest alto saxophonist Greg Ward contribute solos with fervent storytelling, accompanied by Pastor’s earthy drum grooves, and guest Flavio Donoso’s dance-like percussion. Laurenzi’s tenor and Pastor’s cajón expressively guide the following track, Humanidad, originally by Peruvian composer Pablo Casas, and beautifully arranged for the ensemble and string quartet by composer Diego Rivera, also from Perú. “The lyrics describe being human,” Pastor describes, “the human experience of being asked to normalize things that shouldn’t be normalized.”
As the album draws to a close, bassist Matt Ulery’s poignant original composition Undertow features expressive interplay among the ensemble, and a solo from pianist Stu Mindeman. Ulery describes how, rather than evoking a dangerous underwater current, the title refers to searching for a firm foothold during tough times, “embracing the motion/dance that carry the rather romantic melodies.” Pastor’s impassioned composition La Rata de Renato augments the quartet with more guest percussion work from Flavio Donoso and Javier Quintana, and guest Victor Garcia on trumpet. La Rata’s turbulent rhythms and harmonies depict, in Pastor’s words, “learning how to deal with the frustration and chaos of the everyday injustice of power, and not lose who you are.”
Cachito’s final track, A Dios, features both a chorus of percussion and Pastor’s own singing voice, and serves as a moving farewell to his father. “My father was a man of deep faith,” recalls Pastor, “in saying goodbye to him, I’m taking a leap of faith myself, faith that he is still in me.”

CHINCHANO is Juan Pastor's modern instrumental jazz group that fuses the traditional North American jazz harmonic palette with exciting rhythmic concepts drawn from Central and South America. This distinct sonic brand is revealed through not only the original compositions, but also in the unique drums/percussion setup that Juan brings to both the recording and to the live concerts.

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