Patricio Morales - 2025 - La Tierra Canta

(38:18; Northsouth Records)

Track list: 
1. La Tierra Canta 4:47
2. Armando 5:08
3. Tale of Tales 3:28
4. Canción Para Despedir A Emilia 4:18
5. Rural Reflections 5:14
6. Papascal 3:24
7. 4 De Diciembre 4:21
8. Realismo Mágico 4:32
9.  Keep in Touch 3:06

Line-up:
Patricio Morales - guitars
Vitor Goncalves -  piano, accordion
Sebastián De Urquiza - bass
Rodrigo Recabarren - drums, percussion
Rogério Boccato - percussion
Daniel Zamalloa - mandolin
Kahil Nayton - cavaquinho
with:
Pablo Menares - bass 


US based composer and musician Patricio Morales has been around the block a few times, with a career that spans four decades and numerous involvements in many types of music and aspects of the music industry. As a solo artist he hasn't been all that active though, with two solo albums released in 1989 and 1994 respectively to his name. This spring saw him release his third solo production "La Tierra Canta" through the imprint Northsouth Records.

While I guess that quite a few people will categorize this production somewhere inside of the jazz universe, for my sake I find this creation to be a bit more of a hybrid one. There are ongoing jazz elements for sure, with some classical music impulses making their way into these compositions too, but in my mind at least it is the folk music elements that define this album as a whole. With the accordion in particular adding a strong and dominant folk music flavor to the landscapes explored.

Here we get melancholic constructions and numbers that are more playful and uplifting in mood and atmosphere. Often with both of these moods explored in an elegant and subtly understated manner, perhaps one might describe these creations as reflections on the moods rather than material trying to give life to those moods and atmospheres in more of a purebred manner.

My main association as far as the folk music elements are concerned is South America, albeit my knowledge of the folk music traditions in that part of the world isn't all that massive. One may logically deduce that at least  some parts of this aspect will point to Morales' country of birth, which is Chile.

While there are exceptions to this general description, my impression is that the accordion has the most vital role in providing folk music details here, while the bass and to some extent the drummer pull in details from the jazz universe. Morales himself comes with the details that I associate with classical music in general and classical guitar in particular. 

Besides a suitably melancholic non-verbal vocal part at the very end, this album is an all instrumental affair too. This is music where the instruments provide the emotions and associations, whether uplifting, joyful, whimsical, melancholic or ever so slightly dark and haunting. The latter appearing as undercurrents on a single occasion, on the composition '4 De Diciembre'. 

I find this comeback solo album by Morales to be quite the elegant and subtle experience, music made by someone who appreciates the careful details and makes music for listeners that will appreciate this aspect of the material. If that is a description that intrigues you, and an artist that mix and blend elements from folk music, jazz and classical music into a cohesive whole sounds fascinating, chances are good that you'll find this production to be a rather interesting experience.

Olav M. Björnsen, November 2025

Links:
https://patriciomoralesmusic.com/