"Life is too short and the time we have I spent working to accumulate material things. But tomorrow we might be gone without having done the things that really matter. ' For Rogelio Mitchell, it's what we do today that determines our collective future. This messag permeates his cd What's Ahead (World Alchemy), a sophisticated blend of syncopated, rhythms rooted in calypso and soca. Drenched in jazz dynamics, the lyrics are thoughtful and the playing and arrangements are pro in keeping with a band (Flin Ting) whose member credits include stints with Buddy Rich, Lee Ritenour, Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart.

His keyboard player is musical director for George Benson and his bass player has conducted the North Carolina, Shreveport, Tulsa Lexington and Houston Symphony Orchestras. In other words, these cats can play Mitchell's Panamanian roots and Caribbean flavorings are everywhere apparent and the open structure of his songs, rich arrangements and professional stylings mark this as an excellent disc from beginning to end. The singing and playing is of the get-inside-you-and-grow and not the hit-you-over-the-head-and-run-like hell variety. Although not a strictly reggae album, reggae is a majore element. This is music of and for a world that knows no boundaries from someone who cares where it's headed and a musical delight from beginning to end.

The Beat Magazine

Purchase