I have a confession to make. I can still remember the exact moment at least 20 years ago when Tom Landa told me he was Mexican.
I remember it because Tom, by this point, was the leader of the Juno-winning Paperboys, the wildly popular Celtic crossover band that has toured the world. And I made some dumb ass comment like, “Then how did you get into Celtic music?” – as if musical taste were tied to ethnicity.
It wasn’t my finest moment.
And now it seems I might’ve helped inspire an album.
OK, not exactly. But it turns out, Tom has spent a lifetime dealing with dumb ass comments like mine – being told by Canadians that he doesn’t look Mexican, and encountering Mexicans who assume he can’t speak Spanish.
And now that he’s at that age where a lot of us start reflecting on who we are in the world, Tom has written an album about the duel identity of being a Mexican-Canadian. And it might just be the greatest thing he’s ever done – and that’s really saying something.
But first, let me catch you up here a bit.
In 2006, Tom got a Canada Council grant to go back to Mexico and study traditional music in Veracruz.
That lead to the 2011 launch of his Latin music project, Locarno, with a seven-song EP titled Una Mas Y Ya Nos Vamos.
Four years after that, the band rerecorded most of those songs as part of its full-length debut, Luz y Sombra.
And now, nearly a decade after that album, we have Colibri Caliope, named for the Caliope hummingbird that migrates between B.C. and Mexico.
Symbolism? You bet.
It’s far and away the most musically sophisticated and emotionally evocative record the band has made so far.
It opens with “Bomberos y Curanderos,” which features Cuban-Canadian sonero Adonis Puentes on guest vocals and blistering trumpet licks courtesy of Miguelito Valdes and Jocelyn Waugh.
That’s followed by “Yanga,” an homage to the African Punu chief who was sold into slavery and sent to Mexico in the 1500s before escaping and leading a rebellion. The song features Afro-Cuban percussionist and vocalist Toto Berreil.
Then comes the sizzling salsa number “La Pachangosa” with more of those infectious horns.
The three songs that follow are traditional folk songs from the Veracruz and Chiapas regions, starting with the mournful “Cupido,” which showcases the vocal ranges of both Tom and Pedro Mota.
“Rascapatete,” from Chiapas is part of the region’s marimba music repertoire but it sounds so Celtic that I had to ask Tom if he purposely injected a little Paperboys into the track. Answer: no. But given that this album is all about Tom’s duel identities, it feels a propos.
“La Iguana” is pure fiesta with more bouncing marimba from Robin Layne and gorgeous fiddle from Kalissa Landa.
And from there, we slow right down for a smokey electric guitar instrumental by Tom called “Saudade.”
The title track is similarly moody, constructed over an atmospheric bed of percussion and distorted vocals.
And the closer, “La Despedida,” is the opposite: a gentle folk number featuring organic acoustic instrumentation.
Colibri Caliope was co-produced by Tom and Joby Baker, who earned his Latin music credentials working with Grammy winner Alex Cuba.
Together they pull off a sound that is both decidedly modern and molded by electronics and yet somehow also vintage.
Now hopefully they won’t keep us waiting another 10 years for the next one!
