Darryl Yokley’s Sound Reformation is comprised of Yokley on tenor and soprano saxophones, Zaccai Curtis on piano, Luques Curtis on bass, Wayne Smith on drums, and Little Johnny Rivero on percussion. Yokley’s bolero, “Un Mundo En Soledad”, kicks off the album on a melancholy note. Rivero’s congas spice up the following tune, “Macondo”, named after the town where the novel’s action takes place.

Inspired by the Colombian musical form Vallenato, Yokley and company do right by “El Pueblo” (The Town), which boasts a thoughtful solo turn by Z. Curtis. L. Curtis and Smith revel in their mutually reinforcing bass and drum chops on “Los Matrimonios Malditos” (The Cursed Marriages), its provocative melody buoyed by Yokley’s soprano sax.

The most adventurous composition on the album must be “Desaparecieron” (They Disappeared), a track that boasts some wild free jazz via tenor saxophone, screams, and appropriately repetitive narration in Spanish. Yokley really goes out on a limb on this composition, given that the rest of the record is strictly straight ahead.

Another tune that features narration, “Remedios La Bella” (Remedios The Beautiful) recalls the part of the novel where Remedios is hanging  clothes out to dry. She is swept up by the wind, never to be seen again.

Yokley picked key moments from the book to inspire his tunes and the band, especially Z. Curtis, seems to be channeling the spirit of the novel. I’ve read One Hundred Years Of Solitude twice, which helped me to understand, and appreciate, this musical interpretation. But it is not necessary to have read Marquéz’s masterwork to enjoy Yokley’s compelling musical vision.

from https://artsfuse.org