Mas Aya - Coming and Going
Tom Colquhoun
Telephone Explosion Records
Coming and Going is a jazzy, psychedelic gem of an album. In the span of eight tracks, Nicaraguan-Canadian musician and producer Brandon Miguel Valdivia (aka Mas Aya) tunes us into shifting realms of impermanence amongst dissonant keys, starry vocals and Batá drums.
Following the meditative, ancestral reckoning of his 2021 LP Máscaras, Mas Aya deepens his signature, experimental composition on Coming and Going; featuring collaborators such as Afro-Cuban percussionist Reimundo Sosa, Toronto-based composer Nick Storring, and members of his family. Listen closely to hear his daughter Martina’s spirited voice in “Be” and his partner Lido Pimienta singing “I’m changing too, I’m changing with youI” in “Tú y Yo” (You and I).
From the thumping synths and vocal chops in “Dora,” to the brassy drones of “What Shattering!” and the fluttering flutes and xylophones in “Abre Camino,” Mas Aya’s fifth release is a cosmic array of sounds for – and by – future generations. Simultaneously tender and theatrical, Coming and Going reminds us that change is imminent, and el camino se hace al andar.
