William Cepeda & Grupo Afro Boricua

Trombonist, composer and arranger, William Cepeda is part of a new generation of musicians who have not only mastered the skills a jazz artist requires, but combine them with the traditional music of their homeland, creating a new and challenging repertoire. Cepeda calls his own variation on this theme "Afrorican jazz."

His album, My Roots & Beyond, features Cepeda in the company of such celebrated fellow Puerto Ricans as percussionist Bobby Sanabria, bassist John Benitez, both noted for their Latin jazz abilities, and cuatro player extraordinaire Yomo Toro, an early exponent of the island's jaunty jibaro (country) music and a legendary figure from the heyday of salsa in the '70s. Reaching beyond his ensemble, Grupo Afro Boricua, Cepeda tapped Cuban woodwind artist Paquito D'Rivera, trombonists Slide Hampton, Costa Rica native Luis Bonilla, and Chicano jazz trumpeter Tony Lujan to add extra ensemble muscle.

"This is my contribution to Puerto Rican music.... Nothing like this has been done before, because while there are plenty of great jazz albums inspired by Cuban rhythms and music, Cuban-jazz fusions and such, there's nothing quite of the same caliber out there for Puerto Rican music and jazz. And there should be," Cepeda says. —Courtesy Calabash Music