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ANOTHER CUBAN THAT MAKES IT TO THE TOP ...ORGULLO PARA EL PUEBLO CUBANO...
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CENTRO ANTICOMUNISTA
Jan 8, 2006, 7:38:50 PM1/8/06
to
Bush Appointment Draws Praise
The appointment of Emilio Gonzalez, a former U.S. Army Colonel, to head the
Homeland Security Department's Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services
won enthusiastic approval from the Cuban American National Foundation
(CANF).
"It is not surprising that the President chose
Colonel Gonzalez to fill this important post because not only does Emilio have a
long and distinguished record of government service, but he has an impressive
breadth of knowledge on many issues," said CANF Chairman Jorge Mas
Santos.
"His own
experience as a young refugee from Cuba who came to realize the American dream
makes him extremely sensitive and aware of those individuals he will be
serving."
Gonzalez will be responsible for over
15,000 immigration employees at more than 250 offices in the U.S. and around the
world.
Gonzalez is a noted commentator on Hispanic
and international affairs who has appeared on local, national and international
radio and television. He was director of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the
National Security Council, where he served as a key national security and
foreign policy advisor to President Bush and Condoleezza Rice.
Gonzalez has spent most of his professional career involved in foreign
affairs and international security policy issues. He has served in or traveled
to almost every country in the Western Hemisphere on numerous occasions and has
represented the U.S. on special diplomatic missions.
His distinguished military career spanned nearly three decades, during which time he served at the U.S. embassies in El Salvador and Mexico, taught at the United States Military Academy at West Point and headed the Office of Special Assistants for the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Southern Command.
Gonzalez has been awarded numerous decorations from the U.S. and has also been decorated by the governments of El Salvador, Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua.
http://www.juanperez.com/comerciales/tv.html
Sobre el ASESINO che:
Sobre el ASESINO che:
CENTRO ANTICOMUNISTA
Jan 8, 2006, 11:03:45 PM1/8/06
to
Descarga...@descarga.com>
Sent: Thursday, December 22, 2005 12:13 PM
Subject: [CubanXchange] Descarga.com Best of 2005
Descarga.com Home Page
http://www.descarga.com
A Year In Review:
The Descarga.com Picks For 2005
2005 was a testament to the worldwide vitality and evolution of Latin
music... from New York, Puerto Rico and Cuba, to Colombia, Venezuela
and Sweden, a strong pulse could be felt almost wherever a band or DJ
and dance-floor were present. What follows is a selection which we
feel represents some of the best material produced this year.
Enjoy...
- Bruce Polin
This year produced a great crop of Cuban Releases, showing breadth
and quality. The folkloric, the street, jazz sophistication and
singer-songwriter intelligence; it's all represented this year.
- Peter Watrous
BIMBO G
Ahora Me Toca A Mi!!! (CD Envidia)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA CUBANA; CUBA
***EditorsPick: Speaking of mixing rap and singing, here comes Bimbo
G, a rapper dropped in front of a great band anchored to the super
swing of the bassist Arnaldo Jimenez. Backed by a tough coro, Bimbo
rocks the house, playing the piano all the time. This is rap that
owes less to the gangster American model than to some sort of
indigenous Cuban rap, flavored deeply by Jamaican fast chat rap.
Damn, it's good. But there's something else here, which is the
inclusion of the singer Maikel Alonso on four of the tunes; he
deserves his own record date, with a band of this caliber. Anyway,
this is the type of record that won't get out of the cd player; it's
so swinging, so nasty and effective, so inventive in its own slightly
old-fashioned way, it's completely appealing. It goes to the ecstatic
moment, right away.
Highly Recommended. (Peter Watrous)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21138.10 ">Details</A>
CONJUNTO CHAPPOTTIN Y SUS ESTRELLAS
La Academia Del Son (CD Envidia)
Category: SALSA/SON; SON, GUARACHA, GUAJIRA; CUBA
***EditorsPick: Man, I love these older bands, newly recorded. They
have something to prove, and they still keep that individuality the
best Cuban bands used to have. Chappottin comes out rocking, with its
singers sounding, well, traditional, with big, grave voices soaring
over the percussion. They give space to the piano soloist. And the
material, including some older hits, is as good as classic Cuban
compositions gets. This is a working band, and the music is filled
with arranging tricks that make the music interesting - check out the
interplay between the lead singer and the coro on "Canuto." This one
stays in the cd player.
Highly Recommended. (Peter Watrous)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21415.10 ">Details</A>
EDWIN CLEMENTE
Timbal Pa'l Bailador (CD E&E Records)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA
***EditorsPick: Direct from Puerto Rico, here's a high voltage
crate-full of hard-hitting Salsa Durisimo led by Edwin Clemente, the
veteran timbalero who has played with the likes of Pupy Santiago, Ray
Barretto, Plena Libre, Protagonitas De La Salsa, Kim De Los Santos,
Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz and many others.
Timbal Pa'l Bailador, Clemente's debut release as a bandleader,
features sparkling compositions by Bobby Valentin, Tito Rivera, Edwin
Rodriguez, Cuco Soto and Francis Rodriguez. Salsa, folks, doesn't get
much harder than this. With terrific vocals by Miguel Angel Rodriguez
and Wilfredo Otero, tracks like "Te Oí Papá" and "El Timbal" come off
like a raised clenched fist - a relentless wall of rhythm and coro
that doesn't take "no" for an answer.
Positioned comfortably near the top of my short list as one of the
best straight-ahead salsa releases of 2005, Timbal Pa'l Bailador is
just as it says: perfect for the dancers.
A big DJ Alert...
Very Highly Recommended. (BP)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21451.10 ">Details</A>
ISSAC DELGADO Y SU GRUPO
Prohibido (CD Universal/Pimienta)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA CUBANA; CUBA
***EditorsPick: Delgado's first album in three years; he claims in
the liner notes he almost quit music totally. But he didn't, and on
Prohibido he goes to the bassist who helped make his late '90s band
such an innovative group, Alain Perez, to produce the bulk of the
music. And he calls on the Venezuelan brothers, Roberto and Luis
Quintero, veterans of so much New York salsa, to handle the
percussion. And while there isn't any new breakthrough here, Alain
has sped things up, making the music up-tempo salsa, pushing Issac to
sing harder and faster, producing music that seems a bit more part of
the mainstream of Latin dance music. As usual, Issac sings some
ballads, and there's no one like him, working with a full, thick
voice. Alain's arrangements at first seem made to fit a pattern;
slowly his quirks show up, and the music takes on a richness that's
hardly ever heard in salsa - check out the rhythm arrangement that
starts the tune "Lo Malo Que Tiene La Habana." There are some covers,
including Los Van Van's huge hit, "La Titimania," and everywhere is
the hardcore swing that Delgado generates. Again, there's nothing
like him, and Prohibido is as good as he's ever been in a studio,
though I'd stretch out the tunes if I were running the show. He's a
gift.
Highly Recommended. (Peter Watrous)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21311.10 ">Details</A>
FARIÑAS
Faríñas El Rumbero (CD Envidia)
Category: FOLKLORIC; RUMBA and/or SANTERIA/LUCUMI; CUBA
***EditorsPick: El Rumbero, no kidding. Here's a great session by one
of the important members of the Cuban rumba group, Los Muñequitos de
Matanzas. He's joined by a handful of percussionists and together
they tear the place up. The interplay between percussionists is
astonishing, and the coros, short and precise, are perfect. Just
listen to his tribute to Celia Cruz - once a forbidden topic in Cuba
- and how intense and complicated the percussion becomes. And he
sings a version of "Drume Negrita," the kids' lullaby. Extremely well
recorded, also, and a very important new addition to the
never-large-enough library of rumbas.
Highly Recommended. (Peter Watrous)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21140.10 ">Details</A>
PEDRO LUIS FERRER
Rústico (CD Escondida)
Category: SALSA/SON; SON, GUARACHA, GUAJIRA; CUBA
***EditorsPick: These little perfect records come out of nowhere. Who
knew that Ferrer could pull of a feat that combines precise,
intelligent songwriting, a great sense for instrumentation, a great
performance and a tremendous recording? Anyway, he did it, mixing
small percussion, marimbula various string instruments and thick
coros. Each instrument rings clearly; it's like being on stage with
the group. And his daughter, Lena, sings both in the coros and as a
soloist, and she sports a paint peeling potential that's also
amazingly intimate. The songs are somewhere in between nueva trova,
folk pop and traditional Cuban son, all thrown together in a way that
suggests overwhelming intelligence. Ferrer is funny as a songwriter,
and clever and ironic; it's all gotten him in trouble with the Cuban
government; he speaks his mind. This one gets played over and over
around hereS
Highly Recommended. (Peter Watrous)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21054.10 ">Details</A>
GALERA 7 SUR
Desde El Combinado Del Este (CD Envidia)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA CUBANA; CUBA
***EditorsPick: Wow, here's a total surprise: a powerhouse
salsa-charanga project by Galera 7 Sur, a group made up of musicians
who spent time together in prison from 1975-1990. Their rough and
tumble charanga was formed in the penitentiary Combinado Del Este,
thus the CD title.
Deep dance grooves with an overcharged motor are typical of Galera 7.
Listen to the furious, fist-swinging "No Se Lo Digas a Papá" (Calixto
Licea) or the full-momentum force of "Tu Loco Y Yo Tranquilo" (Tite
Curet). There is no filler here, folks: all thick 100% rhythmic bliss
kept active with the help of fine timbalero Pedro "Cara Crimen."
Rehearsal for this project was apparently difficult, as some members
of the band are continuously in and out of their respective jail
cells. The result, however, is a super Cuban salsa with strong roots
in the Fania repertoire (they do a tremendous "Azuquita Mami") and
Puerto Rico, with some Tite Curet compositions.
A gem: Very Highly Recommended. (BP)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21546.10 ">Details</A>
JUICY & ERIC (JOSÉ JUICY JUSINO & ERIC VÉLEZ)
Huracan (CD Diamond Records)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA
***EditorsPick: Wow - what a terrific surprise. What we have here is
a smart, fresh, explosive New York salsa dura release with sparkling
arrangements on par in density and swing with the best dance music
happening anywhere right now: Huracan is just that - a musical
hurricane that fulfills the promise and potential of a modern salsa
that has been brewing for some time. Conguero-vocalist Jose Juicy
Jusino and percussionist Eric Velez have accomplished something very
special here: they've pushed the form hard enough to damn-near change
its shape - or, at least, the listeners perspective. The result is
totally fresh salsa. Listen to the Isidro Infante arrangement of
"Maestro De Rumberos." Try not to be impressed. And the opening
track "Llegaste Tu" is a danceclub killer. Then there's the title
track, "Huracan." Where has Infante been keeping these gems? A BIG dj
alert. There is zero filler here, folks. Zilch... none.
With Rubén Rodriguez on bass, David Piro Rodriguez on trumpet,
pianists Isidro Infante and Edwin Sanchez and many others.
Very Highly recommended. (BP)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21321.10 ">Details</A>
SOS LAZAGA
Entre Amigos (CD Envidia)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA CUBANA; CUBA
***EditorsPick: Here's something from Havana that sounds totally new.
Maybe on paper not so much, but the group's mixture of jazz - with a
violin soloist no less - and religious music, along with salsa has
bunch of power. The band's led by Enrique Lazaga, a percussionist who
came up with Charanga Habanera, split off from David Calzado; the
rest of his family's involved, including his father Eduardo Lazaga.
There's lot's of percussion, including bata drums, and stretched out
grooves over Rafael "Cha" Limonta's bass lines. There's even a woman
singer, Yaimi Karel Lay, and precise arrangements for a cha cha, and
an electric keyboard that sounds like a Fender Rhodes. Hyper cool.
Highly Recommended. (Peter Watrous)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21482.10 ">Details</A>
MICHEL MAZA
Que Hablen, Los Habladores... (CD Envidia)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA CUBANA; CUBA
***EditorsPick: Sizzling, well-crafted timba - the second release
from singer Michel Maza, former singer for preeminent timba band in
Cuba, Charanga Habanera. Here, under the direction of of notable
bassist Arnaldo Jimenez (of Arnaldo y La Cosmopolita, Jesús "El
Zunzún," Pedrito Calvo, and most recently Soneros All Stars), Maza
sets off one explosion after another. Que Hablan, Los Habladores...
features mostly original tracks like the party-perfect iconic timba
"Tu Piensas." Maza even successfully timba-fies Beny More's "Elige
Tu." But the crowning jewel here is Maza's intense and fiery
interpretation of Leonel Limonta's "Nube Pasajera" - originally made
popular on Charanga Habanera's <A href= "[area 14931.10]">Pa' Que Se
Entere La Habana</A>. This is pure timba celebration - a top pick for
your New Years Eve party.
Que Hablen will position Mr. Maza near the top of the timba heap:
it's one of the best timba releases this year. Highly Recommended.
(BP)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21547.10 ">Details</A>
MERCADONEGRO
Salsa Pa'l Mundo Entero (CD Bibomusic)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA INTERNATIONAL
***EditorsPick: High Octane sizzling hot salsa. Mercadonegro's first
release Bailalo! was our pick of the month when it came out in 2003.
Their new release, Salsa Pa'l Mundo Entero, is even better... and
proof that this band can compete on a grand scale as one of the
worlds best and boldest salsa orchestras.
From the opening track, "La Bendicion," to the last, "Aqui Está
Mercadonegro," this one will have the dancers fighting for floor
space.
And what a terrifc red-hot tribute to Celia Cruz on "La Guarachera De Cuba."
Listen, if this one doesn't have you screaming for agua, nothing will.
A sure-fire dance club DJ Pick.
Very Highly Recommended. (BP)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21223.10 ">Details</A>
PABLO "CHINO" NUÑEZ
It's SHO Time: Strictly Hardcore On 1 Or 2 - Tribute To The Dancers;
Enhanced CD (CD Cookita Records)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA
***EditorsPick: Ok, it's official: Salsa Dura is alive and well in
New York City. Within a year after the hard salsa releases of George
Delgado, Jimmy Bosch, Ralph Irizarry, Ricky Gonzalez (all of whom are
featured on this CD), not to mention the pivotal releases of the
Spanish Harlem Orchestra, it is pretty safe to say that the genre is,
at the very least, experiencing a revival of sorts. And while I'll
stop way short of saying that there is a thriving club scene here,
the likes of Mr. Nuñez and friends are certainly participant in the
possible emergence of one. I, for one, am ready.
Nuñez, with pure timbalero muscle, leads here with the focus and
intensity of a matador. These arrangements have legs, and the band,
always on cue, attacks without mercy. A big tip of the hat is offered
to Ray Barretto on the fresh arrangement of "Indestructible." (Listen
to Nuñez's timbales sing on this one.) Other dynamic tracks like
"Homenaje Al Bailador," sung by Willie Torres and Marcos Bermudez,
and the opening number "Aqui Cada Uno Viene Con Lo Suyo," interpreted
by Frankie Vazquez, serve to remind us of what is truly
indestructible: the very spirit of salsa and the dancers it is made
for. But it is the ferocious "Soneros De Bailadores" which is the
center of the hurricane. Subtitled "Homenaje a Cheo Feliciano, Pete
'El Conde' Rodriguez y Ralphy Mercado," this number is pure salsa
fever. And with singers like Mr. Vazquez, Ray Sepulveda, Ray Viera,
Frankie Morales, José "Papo" Rivera and percussionists like Marc
Quiñones, Ralph Irizarry, Bobby Allende, George Delgado, Willie
Romero and Eric Velez - it would be hard not to be.
DJ Alert - a salseros Must-have.
Very Highly Recommended. (BP)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21290.10 ">Details</A>
JOHNNY ORTIZ
Sabor De Rumba (CD Brayan Records)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA
***EditorsPick: The compositions of Johnny Ortiz are nearing
legendary status. Some his classics are numbers like "Catalina La O"
- made popular by Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez, "Ojos" by Rubén Blades &
Willie Colón, "No se compara" interpreted by Frankie Ruiz with Tommy
Olivencia's orchestra and "Ritmo del Corazón" - from the 1988 Grammy
winning album of the same title by Ray Barretto and Celia Cruz. Ortiz
fronted his own band called "Taibori" which, in 1979, sported a young
vocalist named Tito Nieves.
Comprised of eight superb arrangements by Eric Figueroa, José Febles,
Marty Sheller and Nelson "Gazu" Jaime, Sabor De Rumba exudes a pared
down purity that reveals the essential flavor and drive that
manifests in only the best salsa. I even found myself liking the
english track "Latin New Yorker" (arranged by Marty Sheller) - and
I'm not usually a big fan of salsa in english. This time it actually
works. And with the robust, on-the-money, vocals provided by Alexa
and Gilberto Vélez, this one, folks, is a classic in waiting.
DJ Alert. A must-have.
Very Highly Recommended. (BP)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21394.10 ">Details</A>
PEDRO PABLO & LA REBAMBARAMBA
¡Yo Tengo El Don...! (CD Envidia)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA CUBANA; CUBA
***EditorsPick: One of the better timba recordings ever, and an
obvious choice for the year's top ten. Led by Pedro Pablo,
ex-Charanga Habanera and Charanga Forever leader, the band comes
through with the sort of intense timba I thought had become a thing
of the past. No acoustic guitars, no ballads, no lite, no bachata,
only hardcore timba, sung by good singers, with super melodic coros
and a new rhythm, the rebambaba whatever, which sounds as if the
group took the trickiest rhythms, used sparingly in the Charanga
constellation, and made them entire songs. The music has the
freshness of Pupy, that sort of hey, I've never heard that before
thing, and keeps it in the street with that great dance impulse that
keeps Cuban music going. In short, there are some miracles here, and
they're exhilarating. Highly Recommended and I wish Envidia would do
more like this. (Peter Watrous)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21227.10 ">Details</A>
EDDIE PALMIERI
Listen Here! (CD Concord)
Category: LATIN JAZZ; LATIN JAZZ
***EditorsPick: Sparkling new Latin jazz release by maestro Palmieri.
This one swings hard with the help of Giovanny Hidalgo, Horacio "El
Negro" Hernandez, Conrad Herwig, Bryan Lynch, John Benitez, David
Sanchez, Michael Brecker, John Scofield, Donald Harrison, Christian
McBride and many others. But it is the sizzle of Regina Carter's
violin that makes this one better than simply great. Her sound
elevates this already first-class project [I would love to hear a
charanga band fronted by her. How's that idea for your next project,
Eddie -- resurrect brother Charlie's Duboney Orchestra?!]
The arrangements stay true to Afro Cuban and Puerto Rican rhythms,
all made fresh by the raspy funk of the three dynamic sax players and
Palmieri's smart, seasoned, playful piano grooves.
Highly Recommended. (BP)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21246.10 ">Details</A>
CESAR PEDROSO "PUPY"
Mi Timba Cerrá (with bonus video track) (CD Egrem)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA CUBANA; CUBA
***EditorsPick: Yet another genius installment in the Pupy story; let
him make six records of his band and tunes a year. There's nothing
like the sense of rhythm on his recordings, and his mixture of
intelligence and dance floor power. The recording moves directly into
a hard modal groove, the coro, violins and percussion all pumping
behind the singers, who on the first tune quote "Blen, Blen, Blen."
And what tumbaos: listen to how Issac Delgado's "La Bala de Billy"
starts its journey. Comes with an embedded video of the band. This is
the stuff, raw, sophisticated, and modern.
Highly Recommended. (Peter Watrous)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21106.10 ">Details</A>
DAFNIS PRIETO
About The Monks (CD Zoho)
Category: LATIN JAZZ; LATIN JAZZ
***EditorsPick: Here's the record a lot of the improvising Latin
world has been waiting for. Prieto, the young Cuban drummer, has been
inciting plenty of attention since he moved to New York several years
ago. He's taken a bunch of high-level jobs, and About the Monks shows
why: Prieto is gifted. His drumming is light and forceful. He's
exceptionally interactive, talking back to the soloists. At first
it's hard to hear what he's doing because he's doing so much-check
out the solo around a piano and bass tumbao on "Ironico Arlequin,"
where he pushes and pulls against the time. He's joined by Brian
Lynch on trumpet, his old band mate Yosvany Terry on saxophone, Luis
Perdomo, on piano and Hans Glawischnig on bass. All the writing's by
Prieto and it's often stunning, based in 70s fusion, but sounding
like a real step away from those antecedents. Here's the real deal.
Highly Recommended. (Peter Watrous)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21017.10 ">Details</A>
ORQUESTA RITMO ORIENTAL
Mucho Más Que Éxitos... Enrique Lazaga Y La Ritmo Oriental (CD Envidia)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA CUBANA; CUBA
***EditorsPick: Good records come from somewhere beyond prediction.
Here's a hard swinging, modern Cuban charanga record that in no way
sounds fussy, dated, or covered in dust. In part the updated sounds
comes from the singer Cesar Infante, who sounds "street," and
deserving his own record date - the other singer included Pedro Calvo
and Angel Bonne on one track each, with Calvo sounding rough and
aggressive, and totally dedicated to the prospect of having a fat
woman hanging around. The band, led by Lazaga on güiro (a good sign,
to have a band led by a percussionist) rips through the tunes, fast,
the violins sawing away, thankfully in tune. And the arrangements
work a whole bunch of different rhythms, making the older tunes sound
fresh. There isn't enough time in the day to take it all in.
Highly Recommended. (Peter Watrous)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21184.10 ">Details</A>
MAYITO RIVERA
Llego La Hora (CD Universal/Pimienta)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA CUBANA; CUBA
***EditorsPick: With the strength and determination of a man with a
singular mission, Van Van vocalist Mario Rivera "Mayito" will get you
up and dancing if it is the last thing he does. This blazing
salsa-timba number shows how this young renegade has developed his
chops and sensibility since he started performing with Van Van in
1999. During this period, he's honed his skills with Haila Mompie,
Orlando "Maraca" Valle, and Síntesis. Not bad company. And while his
irrepressible enthusiasm and warm stage demeanor has made him one of
Cuba's most popular singers, Llego La Hora raises the level of
appreciation he clearly deserves. Here's a guy who can not only sing
his ass off, but he wrote all of the tracks and music as well.
Llego La Hora, Mayito's first solo release in five years, is a pure,
spirited, salsa-timba record, and one of the best modern dance
records of the year. Special mention of the superb coro featuring
Ademilis Hernandez, Alfredo Rodriguez, Jorge Leliebre, and Jannier
Rodriguez. Also featured are Los Van Van members Samuel Formell
(drums) and Boris Luna (keyboards).
Put this one on and turn it way up. This one, folks, is a must-have.
Very Highly Recommended. (BP)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21361.10 ">Details</A>
SONEROS ALL STARS
¡Dime Nagüe! (CD Universal/Pimienta)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA CUBANA; CUBA
***EditorsPick: Wow! With the power of an unexpected slap in the
face, ¡Dime Nagüe! just may be the hottest Cuban salsa-son release of
the year. Seared with the stamp of Changüi, this hard-driving project
is catapulted by the dynamic and superbly executed vocals of Pascual
Matos Aguirre 'Sinsote' (Orquesta Revé) and a cast that includes
timbaleros Samuel Formell (son of Van Van's Juan Formell) and
Oderquis Revé, as well as treseros 'Papi' Oviedo, Miklos Bogdan
'Yanesito' and Jorge Luis Villa, this hard-to-find import CD is
simply not to be missed. Non-stop panic inducing arrangements by
bassist Arnaldo Jimenez... the rising star of modern Cuban dance
music.
Producer Janne Miklos Bogdan has clearly assembled some of Cubas
brightest musicians - they have been pulled from Los Van Van, Sierra
Maestra, Elio Revé Jr., Isaac Delgado, and Cubanismo.
Do not hesitate, this one, folks, is a total Must-Have. It's just
what is needed to make your summer sizzle; a reminder that the wells
of Cuban music are always deeper than previously thought. If you have
any doubts go ahead and listen to "Explotó La Rumba" penned by Andres
Soza Revé.
Very Highly Recommended. (BP)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21333.10 ">Details</A>
WILLIE SOTELO Y LA MUNDIAL DE LA SALSA
Hijos De La Salsa Gorda (CD Envidia)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA
***EditorsPick: Here we go ...a feverish red-hot extension of the
terrific Los Protagonistas de la Salsa CD "De Puerto Rico Al Barrio"
and features many of the same top Puerto Rican players and singers.
This one includes heavy hitting vocalists Luisito Carrion, Josue
Rosado, Choco Orta, Osvaldo Roman and the amazing Mel Martinez.
Produced and directed to near perfection by pianist Willie Sotelo who
refuses to include any filler material; what we have here is
wall-to-wall salsa gorda. Sotelo has played with Roberto Roena, Ivan
Cáceres, Valentin Valdés and Nacho Sanabria in addition to Los
Protagonistas, and he knows what works.
Puerto Rican salsa does not get better than this: buoyant, dense,
deep and infectious. Dancers will not be able to resist the rhythmic
tsunami that will pull them onto the dance-floor. A big fat DJ Alert.
This one, folks, may turn out to be one of the best salsa releases of
2005.
A salsa lovers must-have.
Very Highly Recommended. (BP)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21181.10 ">Details</A>
WELSARE Y SU ORQUESTA PLATINO
...Mi Tierra (CD Envidia)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA COLOMBIA; COLOMBIA
***EditorsPick: The record opens with the first slow Colombian salsa
tune I've ever heard. It takes its time to take off, too. But
Welsare, a singer from San Juan in Colombia, moves slowly, grooving
his way through a baritone saxophone, trumpets, great gear-like piano
figures, and a nice enough coro. This is serious late night salsa,
unrushed, amazingly recorded, swinging, well sung, in tune. What gets
me the most are its tempos, easy, relaxed, chilled-out without being
sluggish. The band takes rhythm as art, the art of the medium slow
burned groove, and I like it; it feels really, really good. Nothing
like it out there, at all. Since when did dance music slow down?
Highly Recommended. (Peter Watrous)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21484.10 ">Details</A>
MIGUEL ZENÓN
Jíbaro (CD Marsalis Music)
Category: LATIN JAZZ; LATIN JAZZ; PUERTO RICO
***EditorsPick: Zenon's one of the most important figures in New
York's jazz renaissance, Latin-style, and Jibaro will keep the
reputation-building process going forward. There are excruciating
beautiful moments - check out the melody to "Punto Cubano" - along
with ventures into the jazz sublime - listen to the opening piano
solo on "Jibaro." Zenon's working with the usual cast of characters,
including Luis Perdomo on piano, Hans Glawischnig on bass and Antonio
Sanchez, and they deal with the precise arrangements, backing the
thick felt sound of Zenon's saxophone. His improvising is motivic,
and individual, and while there may be references to Puerto Rican
country music, what I hear is really sophisticated modern jazz at its
best.
Highly Recommended. (Peter Watrous)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21219.10 ">Details</A>
VARIOUS ARTISTS
La Rumba Soy Yo II: Con Sentimiento Mañana (CD BIS)
Category: FOLKLORIC; RUMBA and/or SANTERIA/LUCUMI; CUBA
***EditorsPick: What a great celebration of rumba and, by extension,
the Cuban music experience. This second installment of La Rumba Soy
Yo (the first was the acclaimed <A href= "[area 18572.10]">La Rumba
Soy Yo: El All Stars De La Rumba Cubana</A>, 2001) is an inspiring
set of tracks that embraces not only rumba in its purest form - Los
Muñequitos De Matanzas, for example, but also unconventional
treatments like the gospel infused "Hush" sung in english by Liban
Humberto Izquerdo.
There's lots of other forms here though: There's sizzling salsa
Cubana as in the fiery salsa/timba "Hablame De La Rumba" sung by "El
Nene" Pedro Lugo Martinez. There's very well done soulful spoken word
poetic material by Telmarys Diaz, laid firmly over steaming rumba
rhythms. There's a nearly ten minute Latin jazz homage to Mongo
Santamaria, composed by Chucho Valdes, whose piano virtuosity has
never been more lush and mesmerizing than here.
Other participating artists (there are many) of note include Gregorio
Hernández "El Goyo," Bobby Carcasses, and Luis Carbonell, Pancho
Amat, Israel López and the brothers Los Papines, who do an amazing
job along with Carlos Embale, Adriano Rodriquez and Edesio Alejandro
on one of the best tracks here, the hip hop groove "No Más" a
combustible club-ready dance track that pushes the rumba envelope
pretty far. It's great demonstration of how rumba can be used as an
evocative, essential tool in contemporary music.
Good liner notes by Miguel Barnet and Cary Diaz. In all, Con
Sentimiento Mañana comes pretty close to being a masterpiece, and may
well be the Cuban release of the year.
Very Highly recommended. (BP)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21044.10 ">Details</A>
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Sent: Thursday, December 22, 2005 12:13 PM
Subject: [CubanXchange] Descarga.com Best of 2005
Descarga.com Home Page
http://www.descarga.com
A Year In Review:
The Descarga.com Picks For 2005
2005 was a testament to the worldwide vitality and evolution of Latin
music... from New York, Puerto Rico and Cuba, to Colombia, Venezuela
and Sweden, a strong pulse could be felt almost wherever a band or DJ
and dance-floor were present. What follows is a selection which we
feel represents some of the best material produced this year.
Enjoy...
- Bruce Polin
This year produced a great crop of Cuban Releases, showing breadth
and quality. The folkloric, the street, jazz sophistication and
singer-songwriter intelligence; it's all represented this year.
- Peter Watrous
BIMBO G
Ahora Me Toca A Mi!!! (CD Envidia)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA CUBANA; CUBA
***EditorsPick: Speaking of mixing rap and singing, here comes Bimbo
G, a rapper dropped in front of a great band anchored to the super
swing of the bassist Arnaldo Jimenez. Backed by a tough coro, Bimbo
rocks the house, playing the piano all the time. This is rap that
owes less to the gangster American model than to some sort of
indigenous Cuban rap, flavored deeply by Jamaican fast chat rap.
Damn, it's good. But there's something else here, which is the
inclusion of the singer Maikel Alonso on four of the tunes; he
deserves his own record date, with a band of this caliber. Anyway,
this is the type of record that won't get out of the cd player; it's
so swinging, so nasty and effective, so inventive in its own slightly
old-fashioned way, it's completely appealing. It goes to the ecstatic
moment, right away.
Highly Recommended. (Peter Watrous)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21138.10 ">Details</A>
CONJUNTO CHAPPOTTIN Y SUS ESTRELLAS
La Academia Del Son (CD Envidia)
Category: SALSA/SON; SON, GUARACHA, GUAJIRA; CUBA
***EditorsPick: Man, I love these older bands, newly recorded. They
have something to prove, and they still keep that individuality the
best Cuban bands used to have. Chappottin comes out rocking, with its
singers sounding, well, traditional, with big, grave voices soaring
over the percussion. They give space to the piano soloist. And the
material, including some older hits, is as good as classic Cuban
compositions gets. This is a working band, and the music is filled
with arranging tricks that make the music interesting - check out the
interplay between the lead singer and the coro on "Canuto." This one
stays in the cd player.
Highly Recommended. (Peter Watrous)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21415.10 ">Details</A>
EDWIN CLEMENTE
Timbal Pa'l Bailador (CD E&E Records)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA
***EditorsPick: Direct from Puerto Rico, here's a high voltage
crate-full of hard-hitting Salsa Durisimo led by Edwin Clemente, the
veteran timbalero who has played with the likes of Pupy Santiago, Ray
Barretto, Plena Libre, Protagonitas De La Salsa, Kim De Los Santos,
Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz and many others.
Timbal Pa'l Bailador, Clemente's debut release as a bandleader,
features sparkling compositions by Bobby Valentin, Tito Rivera, Edwin
Rodriguez, Cuco Soto and Francis Rodriguez. Salsa, folks, doesn't get
much harder than this. With terrific vocals by Miguel Angel Rodriguez
and Wilfredo Otero, tracks like "Te Oí Papá" and "El Timbal" come off
like a raised clenched fist - a relentless wall of rhythm and coro
that doesn't take "no" for an answer.
Positioned comfortably near the top of my short list as one of the
best straight-ahead salsa releases of 2005, Timbal Pa'l Bailador is
just as it says: perfect for the dancers.
A big DJ Alert...
Very Highly Recommended. (BP)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21451.10 ">Details</A>
ISSAC DELGADO Y SU GRUPO
Prohibido (CD Universal/Pimienta)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA CUBANA; CUBA
***EditorsPick: Delgado's first album in three years; he claims in
the liner notes he almost quit music totally. But he didn't, and on
Prohibido he goes to the bassist who helped make his late '90s band
such an innovative group, Alain Perez, to produce the bulk of the
music. And he calls on the Venezuelan brothers, Roberto and Luis
Quintero, veterans of so much New York salsa, to handle the
percussion. And while there isn't any new breakthrough here, Alain
has sped things up, making the music up-tempo salsa, pushing Issac to
sing harder and faster, producing music that seems a bit more part of
the mainstream of Latin dance music. As usual, Issac sings some
ballads, and there's no one like him, working with a full, thick
voice. Alain's arrangements at first seem made to fit a pattern;
slowly his quirks show up, and the music takes on a richness that's
hardly ever heard in salsa - check out the rhythm arrangement that
starts the tune "Lo Malo Que Tiene La Habana." There are some covers,
including Los Van Van's huge hit, "La Titimania," and everywhere is
the hardcore swing that Delgado generates. Again, there's nothing
like him, and Prohibido is as good as he's ever been in a studio,
though I'd stretch out the tunes if I were running the show. He's a
gift.
Highly Recommended. (Peter Watrous)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21311.10 ">Details</A>
FARIÑAS
Faríñas El Rumbero (CD Envidia)
Category: FOLKLORIC; RUMBA and/or SANTERIA/LUCUMI; CUBA
***EditorsPick: El Rumbero, no kidding. Here's a great session by one
of the important members of the Cuban rumba group, Los Muñequitos de
Matanzas. He's joined by a handful of percussionists and together
they tear the place up. The interplay between percussionists is
astonishing, and the coros, short and precise, are perfect. Just
listen to his tribute to Celia Cruz - once a forbidden topic in Cuba
- and how intense and complicated the percussion becomes. And he
sings a version of "Drume Negrita," the kids' lullaby. Extremely well
recorded, also, and a very important new addition to the
never-large-enough library of rumbas.
Highly Recommended. (Peter Watrous)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21140.10 ">Details</A>
PEDRO LUIS FERRER
Rústico (CD Escondida)
Category: SALSA/SON; SON, GUARACHA, GUAJIRA; CUBA
***EditorsPick: These little perfect records come out of nowhere. Who
knew that Ferrer could pull of a feat that combines precise,
intelligent songwriting, a great sense for instrumentation, a great
performance and a tremendous recording? Anyway, he did it, mixing
small percussion, marimbula various string instruments and thick
coros. Each instrument rings clearly; it's like being on stage with
the group. And his daughter, Lena, sings both in the coros and as a
soloist, and she sports a paint peeling potential that's also
amazingly intimate. The songs are somewhere in between nueva trova,
folk pop and traditional Cuban son, all thrown together in a way that
suggests overwhelming intelligence. Ferrer is funny as a songwriter,
and clever and ironic; it's all gotten him in trouble with the Cuban
government; he speaks his mind. This one gets played over and over
around hereS
Highly Recommended. (Peter Watrous)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21054.10 ">Details</A>
GALERA 7 SUR
Desde El Combinado Del Este (CD Envidia)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA CUBANA; CUBA
***EditorsPick: Wow, here's a total surprise: a powerhouse
salsa-charanga project by Galera 7 Sur, a group made up of musicians
who spent time together in prison from 1975-1990. Their rough and
tumble charanga was formed in the penitentiary Combinado Del Este,
thus the CD title.
Deep dance grooves with an overcharged motor are typical of Galera 7.
Listen to the furious, fist-swinging "No Se Lo Digas a Papá" (Calixto
Licea) or the full-momentum force of "Tu Loco Y Yo Tranquilo" (Tite
Curet). There is no filler here, folks: all thick 100% rhythmic bliss
kept active with the help of fine timbalero Pedro "Cara Crimen."
Rehearsal for this project was apparently difficult, as some members
of the band are continuously in and out of their respective jail
cells. The result, however, is a super Cuban salsa with strong roots
in the Fania repertoire (they do a tremendous "Azuquita Mami") and
Puerto Rico, with some Tite Curet compositions.
A gem: Very Highly Recommended. (BP)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21546.10 ">Details</A>
JUICY & ERIC (JOSÉ JUICY JUSINO & ERIC VÉLEZ)
Huracan (CD Diamond Records)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA
***EditorsPick: Wow - what a terrific surprise. What we have here is
a smart, fresh, explosive New York salsa dura release with sparkling
arrangements on par in density and swing with the best dance music
happening anywhere right now: Huracan is just that - a musical
hurricane that fulfills the promise and potential of a modern salsa
that has been brewing for some time. Conguero-vocalist Jose Juicy
Jusino and percussionist Eric Velez have accomplished something very
special here: they've pushed the form hard enough to damn-near change
its shape - or, at least, the listeners perspective. The result is
totally fresh salsa. Listen to the Isidro Infante arrangement of
"Maestro De Rumberos." Try not to be impressed. And the opening
track "Llegaste Tu" is a danceclub killer. Then there's the title
track, "Huracan." Where has Infante been keeping these gems? A BIG dj
alert. There is zero filler here, folks. Zilch... none.
With Rubén Rodriguez on bass, David Piro Rodriguez on trumpet,
pianists Isidro Infante and Edwin Sanchez and many others.
Very Highly recommended. (BP)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21321.10 ">Details</A>
SOS LAZAGA
Entre Amigos (CD Envidia)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA CUBANA; CUBA
***EditorsPick: Here's something from Havana that sounds totally new.
Maybe on paper not so much, but the group's mixture of jazz - with a
violin soloist no less - and religious music, along with salsa has
bunch of power. The band's led by Enrique Lazaga, a percussionist who
came up with Charanga Habanera, split off from David Calzado; the
rest of his family's involved, including his father Eduardo Lazaga.
There's lot's of percussion, including bata drums, and stretched out
grooves over Rafael "Cha" Limonta's bass lines. There's even a woman
singer, Yaimi Karel Lay, and precise arrangements for a cha cha, and
an electric keyboard that sounds like a Fender Rhodes. Hyper cool.
Highly Recommended. (Peter Watrous)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21482.10 ">Details</A>
MICHEL MAZA
Que Hablen, Los Habladores... (CD Envidia)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA CUBANA; CUBA
***EditorsPick: Sizzling, well-crafted timba - the second release
from singer Michel Maza, former singer for preeminent timba band in
Cuba, Charanga Habanera. Here, under the direction of of notable
bassist Arnaldo Jimenez (of Arnaldo y La Cosmopolita, Jesús "El
Zunzún," Pedrito Calvo, and most recently Soneros All Stars), Maza
sets off one explosion after another. Que Hablan, Los Habladores...
features mostly original tracks like the party-perfect iconic timba
"Tu Piensas." Maza even successfully timba-fies Beny More's "Elige
Tu." But the crowning jewel here is Maza's intense and fiery
interpretation of Leonel Limonta's "Nube Pasajera" - originally made
popular on Charanga Habanera's <A href= "[area 14931.10]">Pa' Que Se
Entere La Habana</A>. This is pure timba celebration - a top pick for
your New Years Eve party.
Que Hablen will position Mr. Maza near the top of the timba heap:
it's one of the best timba releases this year. Highly Recommended.
(BP)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21547.10 ">Details</A>
MERCADONEGRO
Salsa Pa'l Mundo Entero (CD Bibomusic)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA INTERNATIONAL
***EditorsPick: High Octane sizzling hot salsa. Mercadonegro's first
release Bailalo! was our pick of the month when it came out in 2003.
Their new release, Salsa Pa'l Mundo Entero, is even better... and
proof that this band can compete on a grand scale as one of the
worlds best and boldest salsa orchestras.
From the opening track, "La Bendicion," to the last, "Aqui Está
Mercadonegro," this one will have the dancers fighting for floor
space.
And what a terrifc red-hot tribute to Celia Cruz on "La Guarachera De Cuba."
Listen, if this one doesn't have you screaming for agua, nothing will.
A sure-fire dance club DJ Pick.
Very Highly Recommended. (BP)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21223.10 ">Details</A>
PABLO "CHINO" NUÑEZ
It's SHO Time: Strictly Hardcore On 1 Or 2 - Tribute To The Dancers;
Enhanced CD (CD Cookita Records)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA
***EditorsPick: Ok, it's official: Salsa Dura is alive and well in
New York City. Within a year after the hard salsa releases of George
Delgado, Jimmy Bosch, Ralph Irizarry, Ricky Gonzalez (all of whom are
featured on this CD), not to mention the pivotal releases of the
Spanish Harlem Orchestra, it is pretty safe to say that the genre is,
at the very least, experiencing a revival of sorts. And while I'll
stop way short of saying that there is a thriving club scene here,
the likes of Mr. Nuñez and friends are certainly participant in the
possible emergence of one. I, for one, am ready.
Nuñez, with pure timbalero muscle, leads here with the focus and
intensity of a matador. These arrangements have legs, and the band,
always on cue, attacks without mercy. A big tip of the hat is offered
to Ray Barretto on the fresh arrangement of "Indestructible." (Listen
to Nuñez's timbales sing on this one.) Other dynamic tracks like
"Homenaje Al Bailador," sung by Willie Torres and Marcos Bermudez,
and the opening number "Aqui Cada Uno Viene Con Lo Suyo," interpreted
by Frankie Vazquez, serve to remind us of what is truly
indestructible: the very spirit of salsa and the dancers it is made
for. But it is the ferocious "Soneros De Bailadores" which is the
center of the hurricane. Subtitled "Homenaje a Cheo Feliciano, Pete
'El Conde' Rodriguez y Ralphy Mercado," this number is pure salsa
fever. And with singers like Mr. Vazquez, Ray Sepulveda, Ray Viera,
Frankie Morales, José "Papo" Rivera and percussionists like Marc
Quiñones, Ralph Irizarry, Bobby Allende, George Delgado, Willie
Romero and Eric Velez - it would be hard not to be.
DJ Alert - a salseros Must-have.
Very Highly Recommended. (BP)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21290.10 ">Details</A>
JOHNNY ORTIZ
Sabor De Rumba (CD Brayan Records)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA
***EditorsPick: The compositions of Johnny Ortiz are nearing
legendary status. Some his classics are numbers like "Catalina La O"
- made popular by Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez, "Ojos" by Rubén Blades &
Willie Colón, "No se compara" interpreted by Frankie Ruiz with Tommy
Olivencia's orchestra and "Ritmo del Corazón" - from the 1988 Grammy
winning album of the same title by Ray Barretto and Celia Cruz. Ortiz
fronted his own band called "Taibori" which, in 1979, sported a young
vocalist named Tito Nieves.
Comprised of eight superb arrangements by Eric Figueroa, José Febles,
Marty Sheller and Nelson "Gazu" Jaime, Sabor De Rumba exudes a pared
down purity that reveals the essential flavor and drive that
manifests in only the best salsa. I even found myself liking the
english track "Latin New Yorker" (arranged by Marty Sheller) - and
I'm not usually a big fan of salsa in english. This time it actually
works. And with the robust, on-the-money, vocals provided by Alexa
and Gilberto Vélez, this one, folks, is a classic in waiting.
DJ Alert. A must-have.
Very Highly Recommended. (BP)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21394.10 ">Details</A>
PEDRO PABLO & LA REBAMBARAMBA
¡Yo Tengo El Don...! (CD Envidia)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA CUBANA; CUBA
***EditorsPick: One of the better timba recordings ever, and an
obvious choice for the year's top ten. Led by Pedro Pablo,
ex-Charanga Habanera and Charanga Forever leader, the band comes
through with the sort of intense timba I thought had become a thing
of the past. No acoustic guitars, no ballads, no lite, no bachata,
only hardcore timba, sung by good singers, with super melodic coros
and a new rhythm, the rebambaba whatever, which sounds as if the
group took the trickiest rhythms, used sparingly in the Charanga
constellation, and made them entire songs. The music has the
freshness of Pupy, that sort of hey, I've never heard that before
thing, and keeps it in the street with that great dance impulse that
keeps Cuban music going. In short, there are some miracles here, and
they're exhilarating. Highly Recommended and I wish Envidia would do
more like this. (Peter Watrous)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21227.10 ">Details</A>
EDDIE PALMIERI
Listen Here! (CD Concord)
Category: LATIN JAZZ; LATIN JAZZ
***EditorsPick: Sparkling new Latin jazz release by maestro Palmieri.
This one swings hard with the help of Giovanny Hidalgo, Horacio "El
Negro" Hernandez, Conrad Herwig, Bryan Lynch, John Benitez, David
Sanchez, Michael Brecker, John Scofield, Donald Harrison, Christian
McBride and many others. But it is the sizzle of Regina Carter's
violin that makes this one better than simply great. Her sound
elevates this already first-class project [I would love to hear a
charanga band fronted by her. How's that idea for your next project,
Eddie -- resurrect brother Charlie's Duboney Orchestra?!]
The arrangements stay true to Afro Cuban and Puerto Rican rhythms,
all made fresh by the raspy funk of the three dynamic sax players and
Palmieri's smart, seasoned, playful piano grooves.
Highly Recommended. (BP)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21246.10 ">Details</A>
CESAR PEDROSO "PUPY"
Mi Timba Cerrá (with bonus video track) (CD Egrem)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA CUBANA; CUBA
***EditorsPick: Yet another genius installment in the Pupy story; let
him make six records of his band and tunes a year. There's nothing
like the sense of rhythm on his recordings, and his mixture of
intelligence and dance floor power. The recording moves directly into
a hard modal groove, the coro, violins and percussion all pumping
behind the singers, who on the first tune quote "Blen, Blen, Blen."
And what tumbaos: listen to how Issac Delgado's "La Bala de Billy"
starts its journey. Comes with an embedded video of the band. This is
the stuff, raw, sophisticated, and modern.
Highly Recommended. (Peter Watrous)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21106.10 ">Details</A>
DAFNIS PRIETO
About The Monks (CD Zoho)
Category: LATIN JAZZ; LATIN JAZZ
***EditorsPick: Here's the record a lot of the improvising Latin
world has been waiting for. Prieto, the young Cuban drummer, has been
inciting plenty of attention since he moved to New York several years
ago. He's taken a bunch of high-level jobs, and About the Monks shows
why: Prieto is gifted. His drumming is light and forceful. He's
exceptionally interactive, talking back to the soloists. At first
it's hard to hear what he's doing because he's doing so much-check
out the solo around a piano and bass tumbao on "Ironico Arlequin,"
where he pushes and pulls against the time. He's joined by Brian
Lynch on trumpet, his old band mate Yosvany Terry on saxophone, Luis
Perdomo, on piano and Hans Glawischnig on bass. All the writing's by
Prieto and it's often stunning, based in 70s fusion, but sounding
like a real step away from those antecedents. Here's the real deal.
Highly Recommended. (Peter Watrous)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21017.10 ">Details</A>
ORQUESTA RITMO ORIENTAL
Mucho Más Que Éxitos... Enrique Lazaga Y La Ritmo Oriental (CD Envidia)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA CUBANA; CUBA
***EditorsPick: Good records come from somewhere beyond prediction.
Here's a hard swinging, modern Cuban charanga record that in no way
sounds fussy, dated, or covered in dust. In part the updated sounds
comes from the singer Cesar Infante, who sounds "street," and
deserving his own record date - the other singer included Pedro Calvo
and Angel Bonne on one track each, with Calvo sounding rough and
aggressive, and totally dedicated to the prospect of having a fat
woman hanging around. The band, led by Lazaga on güiro (a good sign,
to have a band led by a percussionist) rips through the tunes, fast,
the violins sawing away, thankfully in tune. And the arrangements
work a whole bunch of different rhythms, making the older tunes sound
fresh. There isn't enough time in the day to take it all in.
Highly Recommended. (Peter Watrous)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21184.10 ">Details</A>
MAYITO RIVERA
Llego La Hora (CD Universal/Pimienta)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA CUBANA; CUBA
***EditorsPick: With the strength and determination of a man with a
singular mission, Van Van vocalist Mario Rivera "Mayito" will get you
up and dancing if it is the last thing he does. This blazing
salsa-timba number shows how this young renegade has developed his
chops and sensibility since he started performing with Van Van in
1999. During this period, he's honed his skills with Haila Mompie,
Orlando "Maraca" Valle, and Síntesis. Not bad company. And while his
irrepressible enthusiasm and warm stage demeanor has made him one of
Cuba's most popular singers, Llego La Hora raises the level of
appreciation he clearly deserves. Here's a guy who can not only sing
his ass off, but he wrote all of the tracks and music as well.
Llego La Hora, Mayito's first solo release in five years, is a pure,
spirited, salsa-timba record, and one of the best modern dance
records of the year. Special mention of the superb coro featuring
Ademilis Hernandez, Alfredo Rodriguez, Jorge Leliebre, and Jannier
Rodriguez. Also featured are Los Van Van members Samuel Formell
(drums) and Boris Luna (keyboards).
Put this one on and turn it way up. This one, folks, is a must-have.
Very Highly Recommended. (BP)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21361.10 ">Details</A>
SONEROS ALL STARS
¡Dime Nagüe! (CD Universal/Pimienta)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA CUBANA; CUBA
***EditorsPick: Wow! With the power of an unexpected slap in the
face, ¡Dime Nagüe! just may be the hottest Cuban salsa-son release of
the year. Seared with the stamp of Changüi, this hard-driving project
is catapulted by the dynamic and superbly executed vocals of Pascual
Matos Aguirre 'Sinsote' (Orquesta Revé) and a cast that includes
timbaleros Samuel Formell (son of Van Van's Juan Formell) and
Oderquis Revé, as well as treseros 'Papi' Oviedo, Miklos Bogdan
'Yanesito' and Jorge Luis Villa, this hard-to-find import CD is
simply not to be missed. Non-stop panic inducing arrangements by
bassist Arnaldo Jimenez... the rising star of modern Cuban dance
music.
Producer Janne Miklos Bogdan has clearly assembled some of Cubas
brightest musicians - they have been pulled from Los Van Van, Sierra
Maestra, Elio Revé Jr., Isaac Delgado, and Cubanismo.
Do not hesitate, this one, folks, is a total Must-Have. It's just
what is needed to make your summer sizzle; a reminder that the wells
of Cuban music are always deeper than previously thought. If you have
any doubts go ahead and listen to "Explotó La Rumba" penned by Andres
Soza Revé.
Very Highly Recommended. (BP)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21333.10 ">Details</A>
WILLIE SOTELO Y LA MUNDIAL DE LA SALSA
Hijos De La Salsa Gorda (CD Envidia)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA
***EditorsPick: Here we go ...a feverish red-hot extension of the
terrific Los Protagonistas de la Salsa CD "De Puerto Rico Al Barrio"
and features many of the same top Puerto Rican players and singers.
This one includes heavy hitting vocalists Luisito Carrion, Josue
Rosado, Choco Orta, Osvaldo Roman and the amazing Mel Martinez.
Produced and directed to near perfection by pianist Willie Sotelo who
refuses to include any filler material; what we have here is
wall-to-wall salsa gorda. Sotelo has played with Roberto Roena, Ivan
Cáceres, Valentin Valdés and Nacho Sanabria in addition to Los
Protagonistas, and he knows what works.
Puerto Rican salsa does not get better than this: buoyant, dense,
deep and infectious. Dancers will not be able to resist the rhythmic
tsunami that will pull them onto the dance-floor. A big fat DJ Alert.
This one, folks, may turn out to be one of the best salsa releases of
2005.
A salsa lovers must-have.
Very Highly Recommended. (BP)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21181.10 ">Details</A>
WELSARE Y SU ORQUESTA PLATINO
...Mi Tierra (CD Envidia)
Category: SALSA/SON; SALSA COLOMBIA; COLOMBIA
***EditorsPick: The record opens with the first slow Colombian salsa
tune I've ever heard. It takes its time to take off, too. But
Welsare, a singer from San Juan in Colombia, moves slowly, grooving
his way through a baritone saxophone, trumpets, great gear-like piano
figures, and a nice enough coro. This is serious late night salsa,
unrushed, amazingly recorded, swinging, well sung, in tune. What gets
me the most are its tempos, easy, relaxed, chilled-out without being
sluggish. The band takes rhythm as art, the art of the medium slow
burned groove, and I like it; it feels really, really good. Nothing
like it out there, at all. Since when did dance music slow down?
Highly Recommended. (Peter Watrous)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21484.10 ">Details</A>
MIGUEL ZENÓN
Jíbaro (CD Marsalis Music)
Category: LATIN JAZZ; LATIN JAZZ; PUERTO RICO
***EditorsPick: Zenon's one of the most important figures in New
York's jazz renaissance, Latin-style, and Jibaro will keep the
reputation-building process going forward. There are excruciating
beautiful moments - check out the melody to "Punto Cubano" - along
with ventures into the jazz sublime - listen to the opening piano
solo on "Jibaro." Zenon's working with the usual cast of characters,
including Luis Perdomo on piano, Hans Glawischnig on bass and Antonio
Sanchez, and they deal with the precise arrangements, backing the
thick felt sound of Zenon's saxophone. His improvising is motivic,
and individual, and while there may be references to Puerto Rican
country music, what I hear is really sophisticated modern jazz at its
best.
Highly Recommended. (Peter Watrous)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21219.10 ">Details</A>
VARIOUS ARTISTS
La Rumba Soy Yo II: Con Sentimiento Mañana (CD BIS)
Category: FOLKLORIC; RUMBA and/or SANTERIA/LUCUMI; CUBA
***EditorsPick: What a great celebration of rumba and, by extension,
the Cuban music experience. This second installment of La Rumba Soy
Yo (the first was the acclaimed <A href= "[area 18572.10]">La Rumba
Soy Yo: El All Stars De La Rumba Cubana</A>, 2001) is an inspiring
set of tracks that embraces not only rumba in its purest form - Los
Muñequitos De Matanzas, for example, but also unconventional
treatments like the gospel infused "Hush" sung in english by Liban
Humberto Izquerdo.
There's lots of other forms here though: There's sizzling salsa
Cubana as in the fiery salsa/timba "Hablame De La Rumba" sung by "El
Nene" Pedro Lugo Martinez. There's very well done soulful spoken word
poetic material by Telmarys Diaz, laid firmly over steaming rumba
rhythms. There's a nearly ten minute Latin jazz homage to Mongo
Santamaria, composed by Chucho Valdes, whose piano virtuosity has
never been more lush and mesmerizing than here.
Other participating artists (there are many) of note include Gregorio
Hernández "El Goyo," Bobby Carcasses, and Luis Carbonell, Pancho
Amat, Israel López and the brothers Los Papines, who do an amazing
job along with Carlos Embale, Adriano Rodriquez and Edesio Alejandro
on one of the best tracks here, the hip hop groove "No Más" a
combustible club-ready dance track that pushes the rumba envelope
pretty far. It's great demonstration of how rumba can be used as an
evocative, essential tool in contemporary music.
Good liner notes by Miguel Barnet and Cary Diaz. In all, Con
Sentimiento Mañana comes pretty close to being a masterpiece, and may
well be the Cuban release of the year.
Very Highly recommended. (BP)
<A href=" http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21044.10 ">Details</A>
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