Francisco Mora Catlett ★★★★ Mora! I and II FAR OUT. CD/DL/LP

Deep Afro-Latin jazz project by longstanding Arkestra percussionist.

After working as a session percussionist for Capitol Records in Mexico City, Francisco Mora played with Sun Ra from 1973-80, conceiving Mora! in Detroit as an exploration of the black presence in the Americas. With double-bassist Rodney Whitaker of the Roy Hargrove Quintet, Strata Records founder Kenny Cox on piano, saxophonist Vincent Bowens and Emile Borde of the Tripoli Steel Band, 1987’s private press

Mora! draws on African-Caribbean, Latin and Native American motifs, as heard on Afra Jum, which interprets Haitian melodies; Samba De Amor diverts to Brazil; and Cultural Warrior allows Bowens, Whitaker, and Cox to take charge. For the sequel, recorded soon after but shelved for decades, Mora added former Mingus trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, allowing greater melodic scope. Old Man Joe swings from blues to reggae and Amazona is a complex scat jam. This deep jazz dive has conjured profound results. David Katz