Scott Henderson - Blues Devils Band

Maicol Leroy’s San JuanilloBy Jim ParisiMake no mistake about it, Maicol Leroy has been Ticoized.Don’t get me wrong, I mean this as a complimentand I know he would be the first one to consider it as such.Hey, the guy has even Latinized his name… Sr. Leroy hasbeen coming to Guanacaste for nearly a quarter of a centuryand living here for almost two decades. He has been playingguitar and harp since well before puberty. Take these twocomponents, mix in a little stage experience, an early exposureto the blues and greatsongwriting ability and voila:you’ve got the new self-producedalbum “San Juanillo”by Maicol Leroy.Eight of the twelve songson this album were penned byLeroy, with two exceptionsbeing the traditional Spanishsongs “Cielito Lindo”and “Luna Liberiana” andLeroy’s translated versionsof the blues classic “Summertime”(“Veranillo”) andthe folk standard “500 Miles”(“Quinientos Millas) on this set. One impressive thingabout his original cuts is that the ex-pat has written them inSpanish, complete with tongue-in-cheek humor, an overallcommendable accomplishment, indicative of whereMaicol’s heart has lead him: his Ticoization. Leroy’svoice is a nice vehicle for the pace and style of thedisc, not to mention his guitar and slide guitar work,along with his harmonica playing and banjo picking.Impressive, indeed. Maicol is accompanied on pianoby Bob Hays and “John from Pinilla” on drums. Leroyalso had the good “privilege and pleasure”, as heputs it, to enlist legendary musician AlShackman (Nina Simone, Aretha, HarryBelafonte, The Drifters, Ben E. King) toadd his signature guitar work on a few ofthe songs. The two met at a jam in Tilaran,played a gig at Casa Agua on LakeArenal, them went into the “open” studioin Lagartillo, which was literally opento the elements. The results produced amarriage between musician and MotherNature, who backs him up with a varietyof her instruments including wind, rain,monkeys, frogs, surf, owls, chickens androosters.It is apparent that one of MaicolLeroy’s goals with this project was to build a bridge betweenhis American Folk & Blues roots and the boleros and traditionalmusical styles of Latin America and more specificallyof Guanacaste. His humor in songs like “Gringolandia” addto this unique blend of styles, as well as the surprise I hadhearing a banjo played in a bolero-style song, for example.The result is what I refer to as an “up” album. It moves rightalong. Even the slower, more poetic songs have a positivepulse to them.Most ex-pats who move here have a story about a definingmoment that helped them decide to take the plunge. I knowI do. Maicol told me that his came about five years after hehad bought a piece of property and built a place to stay on itwhile he was staying here. On this trip, he had purchased areturn ticket for five months after his arrival. When that dayrolled around, he decided that the surf was just too nice toleave and just like that, the Ticoization of Maicol Leroy wason its way.San Juanillo is available at all three Jaime Peligro shopsin Tamarindo, Quepos and Tilaran, where they will gladlysample the music for their customers.