Socrates Garcia is a composer, arranger, producer, recording engineer, conductor, guitarist, and educator, originally from the Dominican Republic.
He is currently a Professor of Music and Director of Music Technology at the University of Northern Colorado, where he teaches advanced courses in Music Technology and has taught Advanced Jazz Arranging.
As an arranger, producer, and recording engineer, his work can be found on numerous albums and a wide variety of side projects.
He has worked with musicians from diverse musical styles, from heavy metal and hip-hop to classical and Latin music. But it was his studies with the late Dick Grove that ignited his love for big band jazz.
His most recent work is titled “Shadows of Tomorrow” (Summit Records) and is his third album after “Sueños” (2005) and “Back Home” (2016).
It is an orchestral jazz album, full of tropical colors and touches of rock. It consists of six pieces composed and arranged by Garcia himself.
Garcia states in his liner notes: ““Shadows of Tomorrow” is a meeting place, a space where the soul of Dominican and Afro-Caribbean music dances with the expansive language of contemporary jazz.” These compositions are personal landscapes, shaped by memory, tradition, current politics, and the beauty of collaboration.”
The first track on the album is titled “AG’s Resting Face…Scary!!!”. The song is dedicated with all the love in the world to Garcia’s daughter (initials AG) and her playful and penetrating gaze, capable of disrupting the peace.
A piece of merengue, jazz, and rock where percussion plays a leading role. It includes two solos by Wil Swindler on alto saxophone and Clay Jenkins on flugelhorn. An avalanche of rhythm.
Next is “Sultry Villa Mella Twilights,” a song dedicated to Villa Mella, a municipality in the Dominican Republic known for preserving its African roots and cultural heritage. Garcia fuses Dominican “palos,” a folk tradition of the Dominican Republic, with jazz. Highlights include solos by Jonathan Bumpus on trombone, Don Aliquo on tenor saxophone, and Jeff Jarvis on flugelhorn. Another piece full of energy and rhythm.
“Brad’s Dreamy Samaná Night,” another colorful piece written by Garcia for trumpeter Brad Goode. Garcia explains: “After a tour of the Dominican Republic, we found ourselves under the stars in the beautiful coastal town of Samaná.
Brad, our brilliant lead trumpet player, took out his instrument and filled the night with notes that could only be described as pure magic. The next day, he asked me to write a piece for him, and after a while, this piece was born.” Overflowing with energy, “Illusions, Delusions, …A Glimmer Of Hope” is a three-movement suite.
Garcia wrote it between 2018 and 2020, at a time when thousands of people were protesting against corruption. The movements of the suite are: “The Wizard’s Wicked Charm,” with which the album takes a significant turn and moves into a gentler tempo, while still maintaining the Latin feel. A powerful statement about the political situation in the United States. The melody has roots in bachata and salsa.
Notable are the contributions of Moncada on baritone saxophone and Alfredo Balcacer on guitar; the second movement is “Liars and Fools” and features Aliquo (tenor saxophone) and Paul McKee (trombone).
Garcia writes: “Every false prophet needs a choir. This movement overflows with chaotic energy, unquestioning devotion, unthinking loyalty. A dance of hollow drums, blind applause, smoke and mirrors, and the truth silenced beneath a smiling mask.”
The Latin rhythm remains the absolute protagonist; the third and final movement is “The Mold Breaker (Bringer of Joy).” Garcia envisions a woman who assumes leadership, stepping forward “and speaking not to deceive, but to awaken.” Swindler on alto saxophone and Dana Landry on piano are the featured soloists.
In “Shadows Of Tomorrow,” Socrates Garcia reflects the rich blend of musical traditions of the Dominican Republic, but also reflects his personal journey, politics, and memories.
Shadows of Tomorrow was born out of reflection on uncertainty and hope, on the belief that even in dark times there is always a path forward. The album features six original works, including “AG’s Resting Face… Scary!!!,” written for my daughter, and the three-part suite Illusions, Delusions… A Glimmer of Hope, my artistic response to the current geopolitical climate. The suite unfolds in three movements: the bachata/salsa-infused “The Wizard’s Wicked Charm,” followed by two merengue-based pieces, “Liars and Fools” and “The Mold Breaker (The Bringer of Joy).” The album also includes “Brad’s Dreamy Samaná Night,” a trumpet feature written for the incredible Brad Goode, and “Sultry Villa Mella Twilights,” which bridges modern jazz with Afro-Dominican palos drumming. Deeply personal yet universal, Shadows of Tomorrow is a journey through darkness toward light, an exploration that weaves together Dominican and Caribbean traditions, heavy-metal energy, and the rich textures and intricacies of contemporary big-band jazz,- an interview with us said Socrates Garcia.
We also recommend purchasing this CD here and getting involved in the enjoyment of Latin jazz.
Tracks
1. AG’s Resting Face… Scary!!!
2. Sultry Villa Mella Twilights
3. Brad’s Dreamy Samaná Night
4. Illusions, Delusions, … A Glimmer Of Hope
4.1. Mov. I: The Wizard’s Wicked Charm
4.2. Mov. II: Liars And Fools
4.3. Mov. III: The Mold Breaker (Bringer Of Joy)
Performers
Socrates Garcia – conductor, composer
Wil Swindler – alto saxophone, soprano saxophone
Andrew Janak – alto saxophone
Don Aliquo – tenor saxophone
David Bernot – tenor saxophone
Eduardo Moncada – baritone saxophone, bass clarinet
Drew Zaremba – flutes
Javier Vinasco Guzmán – clarinets
Brad Goode – flugelhorn
Miles Roth – flugelhorn
Shawn Williams – flugelhorn
Jeff Jarvis – flugelhorn
Clay Jenkins – flugelhorn
Jonathan Bumpus – trombone
Zach Rich – trombone
Tom Call – trombone
Gary Mayne – bass trombone
Paul McKee – trombone (5)
Alfredo Balcacer – guitar
Dana Landry – piano
Manuel Tejada – piano (4)
Erik Applegate – double bass
Ivanna Cuesta – drums
Pablito “Drums” Peña – percussion
Felix “Abuelo” Garcia – percussion
Daniel Berroa – percussion
Miguel Montás – timbales (4)
