Brazilian music is not a protected designation of origin. Musicians can play Brazilian music anywhere – and they do. One such example is guitarist Agustin Pereyra Lucena from neighbouring Argentina. His playing was focused and unflashy, yet deeply virtuosic – qualities that earned him the respect of Brazilian peers like percussionist Naná Vasconcelos, with whom he often collaborated. Still, wider recognition remained elusive.
Territorially speaking, Lucena spent much of the 1970s and early ’80s in Norway, where he also performed extensively. Puertos de Alternativa was recorded in 1988 after his return to Argentina and released in a small pressing by the short-lived label Ultra. The album blends the breezy ease of Bossa Nova with a restrained 1980s fusion sensibility – minus the funk, though at one point it flirts with a somewhat cheesy saxophone line.
For the most part, however, the record exudes a gentle elegance that has aged remarkably well – more than enough to justify this vinyl reissue. Sadly, Agustin Pereyra Lucena did not live to see the renewed interest in his work: he passed away in 2019.
