Led by virtuoso percussionist Masta Conga, Afro Latin Vintage Orchestra is a French band that creates music with jazz as it’s foundation laced with strains of Ethio and Nigerian Funk combined with Latin percussion and rhythms. By taking the “heaviest” elements from each genre and distilling it down to it’s most potent form, the band’s true identity is revealed and set apart from their influences. This French group is truly an orchestra, numbering ten or more players at any given time. Definitely Roots, their 2009 debut album, drew Euro raves for its meld of Afro-beat, funk, old descarga, rhumba, reggae, and Western and Ethiopian jazz. They gained attention for the track "Kingston Abeba," when it was selected for the Paris DJs' (Grant Phabao and DJouls) mixtape 21st Century Afro Extravaganza. They followed a year later with Ayodegi: A Modern Afro-Fusion Ensemble, which was rooted in '70s-era jazz funk. Last Odyssey, the group's debut international release, provides a stellar introduction to their ambitious musical vision as well as their virtuosic instrumental talent. At it’s heart is Masta Conga who’s the designated ring leader and primarily responsible for the concept and production of this album. “ALVO is not a classic group which repeats; It is a space of creation all around of various revolving musicians according to projects.” says Masta Conga. For Last Odyssey, the composition and recording process began with Masta Conga laying down his various percussion parts before adding Jean-Luc Riga's double bass and Max Hartock's drums. Elvis Martinez Smith's guitars and Benjamin Peyrot des Gachons' keyboards were layered on top of these. Finally, violins, brass, reeds, and woodwinds were added. ~Thom Jurek Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.