Patricio Morales – La Tierra Canta (Northsound Records, 2025)
Patricio Morales’ La Tierra Canta (the Earth Sings) presents nine reimagined, finely crafted compositions for classical guitar, drawing from South American folk traditions. Now based in the U.S., Morales, a guitar virtuoso, infuses these pieces with subtle jazz elements while preserving their cultural essence. Indeed, supported by various guest musicians, Patricio Morales elegantly weaves together folk, jazz, and world music influences.
Born in Chile and raised near Santiago and in the countryside, Morales began playing guitar at age 14. His early influences included classic rock icons like Led Zeppelin and Janis Joplin, as well as the politically charged nueva canción movement. In the late 1970s, he was introduced to jazz, particularly through the work of Oregon guitarist Ralph Towner, who would later become his mentor.
Morales moved to New York in 1981 to study music, attending SUNY Purchase and the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. Immersing himself in the city’s creative scene, he befriended key downtown artists and developed his craft further. In 1987, a pivotal meeting with Towner led Morales to Seattle, where he studied privately with him and eventually joined Oregon on tour. His 1989 debut album, Tierra Del Fuego, emerged from this period and was followed by extensive work in Europe, including film and television composition.
By the early 1990s, Morales returned to Chile to host a national radio program and release Doble Sol (1994). He later resumed work in Switzerland, composing for U.S. television shows such as As the World Turns, One Life to Live, and All My Children, for which he received an Emmy in 2013.
Despite his achievements in soundtrack composition, Morales ultimately sought a return to more personal musical expression. In 2015, he moved back to New York and began teaching at Marist University and Bard College Conservatory of Music. The recording process for La Tierra Canta began in 2022 with a multinational ensemble that includes Grammy-nominated accordionist Vitor Gonçalves, bassists Sebastian De Urquiza and Pablo Menares, drummer Rodrigo Recabarren, percussionist Rogério Boccato, mandolinist Daniel Zamalloa, and arranger Juan Andrés Ospina.
The result is a nine-track collection of original compositions rooted in South American rhythms and melodies, reflecting the hybrid nature of musical influences in the area. The title track, featuring Goncalves on accordion, introduces the album’s exquisite, melodic side.
Meanwhile, tracks such as “Realismo Magico” combine structured grooves with improvisational sections, while “Armando,” a samba inspired by a dream about Morales’s cousin, shifts between major and minor modes.
“4 De Diciembre” is marked by a sense of nostalgia and longing.
The album closes on a brighter note with “Keep in Touch,” a vocal piece that ends the record on an uplifting tone.
Musicians: Patricio Morales on classical guitar; Vitor Goncalves on piano, accordion; Sebastián De Urquiza on upright bass; Rodrigo Recabarren on drums and percussion; Rogério Boccato on Brazilian percussion; Daniel Zamalloa on mandolin; Kahil Nayton on cavaquinho; Pablo Menares on upright bass on Track 3; and Juan Andrés Ospina, additional arrangements on tracks 1, 3, 8, 9.
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