The Prophecy Of The Eagle and The Condor

For his Silver Wave debut, Peruvian wind player Tito La Rosa addresses a familiar theme--a future socio-spiritual reunification of the Americas--and musically articulates the vision with an agreeable mix of humility and passion. La Rosa, a descendant of the Quechua Indians of the Andes, enlists the talents of labelmate Mary Youngblood (Native American flute) to intertwine the native musical traditions of two hemispheres, and the result is attractively reverent and reflective, flavored with occasional displays of dignified celebration. Producer Tom Wasinger carefully embellishes La Rosa's organic instrumentation (he even blows a conch shell on the prayerful "The Invocation) with just enough modern-day flourishes (a faint keyboard glow on "All One Nation;" traces of guitar and piano on selected tracks) to make this worthwhile, low-key disc appealing to both contemporary and traditional listeners. Highlights: a pair of softly percussive charmers, "Fire Spirit" and "The Dance of the Puma and the Wolf," and the delicate, respectful duet shared by La Rosa and Youngblood on "El Muney (The Power of Love)." --Terry Wood