La Madrugá is a transcendental Afro-Caribbean offering by artist and composer Yasser Tejeda inspired by cycles, specifically those of life, water, and love, and how they pass through different stages and reconnect us to our natural human state. According to Billboard, Yasser is giving traditional folkloric music a new spin with jazz, rock, and Caribbean rhythms in "a frenzied celebration of ancestral union", while Juan Luis Guerra, the most influential Dominican artist in the world, has praised his mission calling it a "marvelous example of what's happening with Dominican music". Supporting Tejeda’s message of unity, this album features veteran artists like Vicente García and Bebo Dumont, while poet and activist Yaissa Jimenez also complements one of his most cherished compositions.
Tejeda hopes to honor the ancestors and allies who have challenged the times by immersing themselves in the study, preservation, and exaltation of their African roots with this album. Musically, “La Madrugá” honors and highlights centennial Dominican traditions like Los Congos del Espíritu Santo de Villa Mella, La Sarandunga de Baní, La Salve de San Cristóbal, etc., and shares rhythm styles like Haiti’s kompa, Congo’s soukous, and Nigeria’s afrobeat fused with elements of merengue, jazz, and rock. The goal is to express the similarities of these styles while traveling throughout the sonic development of our history, connecting West Africa towards Hispaniola island and finishing in North America.
