Jazz master Tony Lujan was a child of the New Mexican earth. His father was a musician who played trumpet, accordion and sang, performing rancheras and regional music and was Lujan’s first musical influence. He began studying music in New Mexico public schools, performing in the Youth symphony but was drawn to Jazz. At 14 years of age he met Clark Terry who was to become one of the most transformative and influential relationships of his life. Terry transmitted the oral tradition of Jazz to Lujan, beyond the notes and theory he taught him the spirit and heart of Jazz. This is a relationship and rite of passage that traditionally has been critical to all real Jazz artists and is a relationship based on love and respect. Through the years he maintained a deep relationship with Clark Terry until he said goodbye to his Jazz father who passed in 2015, and whom Lujan still misses everyday. Lujan continued his musical studies at the New Mexico State University and then to UNLV in Las Vegas. Later relocating to the east coast, he went on to live out the full mythic Jazz experience, performing in New York, touring Europe, working as a highly regarded sideman with such luminaries as Eddie Palmieri, Tito Puente and Luis Miguel and also recording a series of albums as a leader, representing his mastery of composition with his arrangements of hardcore bop and Latin Jazz. He played with everybody, he did it, he developed a signature melodic voice, a tone full of tears and jubilation and a prodigious technique. Then in 2014 he came home. Coming home means very different things to different people, but for Lujan it meant a return to his roots in the land. His family's sprawling ranch is located in Tajique, 60 miles from Albuquerque and is part of a Spanish Land Grant dating from the 1500’s. He is a Mestizo, a man with mixed Spanish and First Nations ancestry and as such his connections to the land go into pre-history. He is no immigrant, he is rooted, as American as they get. There have been very few Indigenous Jazz artists, most notably was Jim Pepper of Kaw-Creek ancestry whose recording of “Witchi Tai To” became an anthem of sort in the 60’s and one of the first examples of an attempt at a Native-Jazz fusion. Lujan’s Native American background went largely unremarked, he was a Latino playing Latin Jazz and as such would have, at first glance been considered Puerto Rican, Central American or Mexican (all also Mestizo peoples). But New Mexico has a unique history, with little direct Mexican influence, unlike the rest of the southwest, the Spanish spoken there has words and an accent that date back to pre-conquest Spain. Which is why Lujan was only vaguely familiar with the seminal Mexican holiday “Dia De Los Muertos”. That brings us to the story of Tumba. On New Year's Eve, after Lujan had returned to New Mexico, he was celebrating and encountered the group “Nosotros” playing. He joined them on stage and a friendship was immediately formed with the band who describes themselves as “a mezcla of the sounds of the Americas”. When Tony met Nosotros, one of the most popular bands in New Mexico, they were celebrating 20 years together as a band with several award winning Albums, major festival performances and a southwestern tour. Nosotros is not a traditional Jazz band, their “Mezcla” includes Reggae, Rock, Salsa and Cumbia, but they are young, energetic, disciplined and talented. Like Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins, Lujan found inspiration and new ideas from young artists outside of the traditional Jazz genre. He found himself mentoring the next generation, like Clark Terry did for him, passing on the oral tradition of the uniquely American Art of Jazz. The creation of Tumba began with a bottle of Mescal Lujan shared with a producer of a Día de los Muertos celebration in New Mexico. Originally just a solo trumpet gig, after a few more drinks, it evolved into a full band project with an original composition and arrangement. Lujan decided to collaborate with Nosotros on the project, asking the group's drummer Dennis Javier Jasso to co-produce. Lujan composed and arranged the music and even wrote the lyrics- his first time as a lyricist - but accepted the challenge and crafted the Spanish lyrics with some feedback from his Mother over morning coffee. The melody came from a night in the magical Spanish city of Granada, when he encountered a group of Gypsies playing flamenco and joined them hearing ancient stories and cries in the music that felt familiar and personal. A melody was born that night that became the theme of Tumba. The project began to grow and world-class guest artists were brought in to add colors and richness to the sound with Nosotros as the base, with ultimately 15 musicians collaborating on the finished project. The joyous vibrant sound of the music reflects the contradiction and mystery of Muertos. It starts with Lujan’s honey tones over percussion and strings stating the melody, then the band breaks in with vocals by Asdru Sierra known from his work with Ozomatli, then piano work by Otmaro Ruiz, the band is cooking hard and if you don’t start dancing something is wrong with you. Then tenor sax solo by Bob Shepard and Lujan returns on muted trumpet over Coro. It builds, rocks and grooves over spoken word interludes. It is the sound of life celebrating the reality of death. It is Muertos. Finally words from Co-producer Dennis Javier Jasso “The only thing that we are guaranteed in life is death. Tumba is a dedication to those that have passed before us and our ultimate, yet glorious, destiny. Working on this song was a time to reflect on my own life and those family and friends that have gone on before me.“ Credits The Artwork is by a Northern New Mexico Santero- Nicholas Herrara renown for his work with muertos. The Artist: Tony Lujan - Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Background vocals, Shells Nosotros is: Shane Derk - Electric Guitar Manuel Ramirez - Sax Jesse Parker - Vibraphone Gilbert Uribe - Bass Ricky Carrido - Congas, Bata Dennis Javier Jasso - Drums Guest Artists: Asdru Sierra - Lead Vocals Otmaro Ruiz - Piano/Keys Bob Sheppard - Sax Chris Buckholz - Trombone Sina Soul - Vocals Camino Quinones - Timables Randy Sanchez - Tres Leland Bond - String Orchestration Production: Music and Lyrics by Tony Lujan Rap Lyrics by Sina Soul Produced by Tony Lujan and Dennis Javier Jasso Recorded and mixed by Dennis Javier Jasso at Fw Studios, Santa Fe, NM Mastered by Luis Herrera at Masterhead Lab Mastering, NY, NY