Rachel Therrien - MI HOGAR II ALBUM

MI HOGAR II ALBUM

The album Mi Hogar II is Rachel Therrien's eighth album as a leader, released in March 2025 on the Lula World Records label. The second installment of her ambitious Latin Jazz Project, this work stands as a masterful celebration of Afro-Cuban music, driven by technical virtuosity and an extraordinary sense of ensemble.

The album earned the trumpeter the prestigious Instrumental Solo Artist of the Year award at the Canadian Folk Music Awards, as well as an International Artist of the Year award at Cubadisco.

The concept: Music as a collective home

The album title translates to "My Home II," a direct echo of the artist's philosophy that her home is her community of musicians. Conceived as an open-door celebration, the project brings together some twenty internationally renowned musicians based in New York, Cuba, Montreal, and Toronto. Instead of a fixed group, the trumpeter and flugelhornist rotates up to four different pianists and a surgically precise, rotating rhythm section, all held together by her inspired leadership.

A rhythmic and stylistic journey

Mi Hogar II organically fuses contemporary New York jazz with the rich historical traditions of the Caribbean. Rachel Therrien displays a highly mature trumpet style, alternating between explosive improvisations and remarkably gentle lyricism.

The album's repertoire is distinguished by its masterpieces:

●     Fiestas Campesinas : A dynamic piece propelled by the textured electric bass of his mentor John Benitez and the piano of Manuel Valera.

●     Mambo "Chucho" Influenciado : A direct and vibrant tribute to the Cuban jazz tradition, brilliantly arranged by the trumpeter herself.

●     Orun : An atmospheric and refined soundscape where the trumpet dialogues almost exclusively with the percussion and piano of the Canadian-Cuban duo Okan.

●     Beauty Free : The album's closing track breaks with the instrumental nature of the work to offer a playful song performed by New Yorker Mireya Ramos and Montrealer Andy Rubal.

Critics

The international jazz press unanimously praised this album, calling it "essential" and lauding Rachel Therrien's ability to appropriate the codes of Latin jazz with such confidence that one almost forgets her Lower St. Lawrence roots. The strength of Mi Hogar II lies in its perfect balance: although Rachel Therrien's name shines brightly, she gives her guests enormous freedom, making this album a monument of musical altruism.