Soko

Soko is guitarist-composer Jean-Jacques Rojer’s exploration of the musical crossroads of his native Curaçao. Born into a family whose musical lineage stretches back more than six generations, Rojer grew up surrounded by European classical music and the African-rooted traditions of Curaçao. His music brings those worlds together with jazz, Latin, Brazilian, Caribbean and African influences.

For Soko, Rojer brought this unique musical language to New York, where the album was recorded with an extraordinary ensemble of world-class musicians: Warren Wolf on vibraphone, John Benitez on bass, Pernell Saturnino on percussion, and Jeff “Tain” Watts on drums. Produced by Grammy-winning producer Brian Bacchus, the session brought together musicians whose collective experience spans jazz, Latin and contemporary music, creating a band capable of navigating Rojer’s complex rhythmic landscape with remarkable freedom and precision.

The eleven tracks move through a constantly shifting vocabulary: the nearly extinct Curaçaoan muzik di zumbi tradition on “Zumbi”; New Orleans funk on “Guiambo”; Brazilian baião on “Ruas”; Afro-Caribbean descarga on “Dindin”; Venezuelan folk transformed through a 7/4 clave on “Caballo Viejo”; and a striking fusion of Polish mazurka, zouk and soca on “Saliña.” Rojer also reimagines Louis Moreau Gottschalk’s “O ma charmante, épargnez-moi!” and Kurt Weill’s “Speak Low,” bringing his classical background and modern jazz sensibility into the conversation.

The title Soko comes from the Swahili word for “marketplace”—a place where different people, cultures and ideas meet and create something new. That idea is at the heart of the album. Curaçao itself is such a marketplace: African, European and Latin American cultures converging on a small Caribbean island.

Recorded in New York and released by Sunnyside Records, Soko is ultimately a meeting of musicians, traditions and rhythmic languages. At its center is Rojer’s distinctive guitar voice—rooted in Curaçao, informed by the African diaspora, and open to wherever the music wants to go.

Jean-Jacques Rojer- Guitars, Warren Wolf -Vibraphones, John Benitez- Bass, Jeff “Tain” Watts - drums, Pernell Saturnino - Percussion, Brian Bacchus - producer, Gregory Elias - executive producer. Recorded by Fran Cathcart In NYC, summer 2019, edited by Jean-Jacques Rojer, mixed by Oscar Bor and mastered by Dave Darlington.