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The L.A. Carpool sound is a fresh blend of Salsa and Contemporary pop or funky music. The four principal members of the group combine Salsa Music with English lyrics. Thus they want to attract Latin as well as Anglo audiences. Probably that's what the title of the record means: when two musical worlds collide something interesting new may originate. Currently the fusion of latin with pop or rock gains great success as you see with Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony or Santana. Also in Germany the Group "Havana" has such a concept of "Salsa and Soul": see separate review of their CD and concerts. The members of the group L.A. Carpool mainly have a background from popular american music, funk and soul but finally fell in love with latin music. Frank Garcia, born in Havana, Cuba, came to the US as a boy. He composes the music for the group, plays guitar, bass, drums an co-produces the L.A.Carpool sound. The very good-looking Faith Rivera, the groups vocalist, was born on the Island of Kauai in Hawaii. She sings the songs with a big Soul-feeling and gives the music a unique character. Typical for the arrangements crossing over the border to pop and soul is the heavy use of drums, guitar and synthesizer. But of course still the latin percussion and the salsa piano is dominant. Unfortunately the horns are not "real" but come from the synthesizer (except for horn solos). The songs are original compositions of the band, except for the track "Hang on sloopy". Even one flamenco is included. You can download three of their songs at www.mp3.com/lacarpool . The CD is available at MP3, amazon.com or others. 10 tracks, 41:12 min, LA Carpool Music and Records, 2000
Regarding Cuban Music many think of the music and musicians of "Buena Vista Social Club". Therefore it is difficult for young modern Cuban groups to get their voices heard now. The group "Chispa y Los Cómplices" shows humor and uses the slogan "Directly from Buena Vista - After the Club".
Timba is the current popular music of Cuba. A very modern, innovative Style combining Salsa, Funk and Rap. It features heavy percussion reinforced by drumset, hammering cowbells and many drum rolls. An even wilder piano and bass both play patterns quite different from Salsa. On Top you have rich horn decorations. The vocals and coros also use styles different from Salsa. For example typically the lead vocals as well as the coros use many Rap phrases.
But what the many new people, who got introduced to Cuban music by the "Buena Vista Social Club", might miss with Timba in general is: the melodies and warm harmonies of the son classics. Timba often is not "easy listening music". Timba is the hottest dance music which drives you to the dance floor. For listening sitting in your armchair it might be to "hectic".
"Chispa y Los Cómplices" is a new group in Cuba playing perfect "Timba". The director is the bass player, composer and arranger Ignacio R. Cervantes "El Chispa". He studied at the Centro National de la Musica and teaches at the Escuela Nacional de Arte. After a long period as musical director with "Rojitas y su Orquesta" he founded his own band end of 1998. Their debut album is called "New Pa' Que Vea". It presents Timba at it's best. I believe the group has best chances to push themselves in the first line together with the famous modern Cuban bands like e.g. NG La Banda, Charanga Habanera, Klimax etc.
The record was produced by the German-Cuban company Cuba Chévere in Berlin who now want to "conquer" Germany with hot Timba. The CD will be released beginning of year 2000. "Chispa y Los Cómplices" will be on tour in Europe in June/July 2000. For booking contact Cuba Chévere.
The CD: 13 tracks, 61 min., Cuba Chévere, 1999.
New York's Salsa has to defend itself against the strong influence of "Salsa Romantica" and the commercialized Salsa. This recording is pure "Salsa Dura". "Salsa Dura" means that it stresses more the improvisations and riffing. "Salsa Dura" gives room for the individual talents of each musician who takes part in the recording project, often in Descarga like arrangements. On the opposite, many current mainstream Salsa production are focused on one (mostly young) singer and the rest of the band has to stand in the background. A real fiebrú (feverish salsa head) since his birth in Hoboken, New Jersey, Jimmy Bosch leaves no doubt that he is only in for the Salsa Dura, the hard hitting New York style. Jimmy Bosch produced the album himself and wrote most of the compositions, arrangements and lyrics. While most of our contemporary recordings always sing about love, Jimmy Bosch tells us stories about every day life (car breakdown on highway: "La Cacharra") and also about very serious things like death of a brother ("La Noticia") or the terrible desease of AIDS ("Impacto Tendremos"). Jimmy Bosch plays the trombone. Therefore you may expect very heavy horn arrangements on this CD! "Salsa Dura" is loaded with improvised riffs, called "monas", where the brass players improvise polyphonically. "I live for that sort of improvisation", said Bosch. "That's where the reals spontaneity comes from, where the power comes from." The music is hard and exciting. Many different styles make the CD a listening as well as dancing pleasure: Salsa, Plena, Mozambique, Guajira, Bolero and Latin Jazz among others. The CD cover even claims more styles like Guaguanco and son. But I find these tracks are not very typical for those styles. Jimmy Bosch worked with Conjunto Libre and in the orchestra of Marc Anthony. On this CD he invited several guest musicians like Chucho Valdés on Piano and David Sánchez on Sax.
12 tracks, 58 min., Rykodisc, 1999
Another excellent record of one of the greatest artists in Salsa where once again he proves the talents of his strong voice, his wonderfule improvisation and Salsa orchestra arrangements.
Oscar composed and arranged several of the tracks himself. He has many well known musicians working with him on this album. E.g. Isidro Infante, who plays the Piano and also produced the first 3 songs. Or Charles Peñalver, who for some time worked as a Salsa artist in Germany. Also José Mangual Jr. and Milton Cardona on Coros and Luisito Quintero on Congas, Tambales, Bongos and Campanas.
Oscar D'Leon is my favourite Artist and singer. (Therefore ?) I wear my hair equally super short like he does :-) By the way: the CD cover wants to give some translations for the CD-title; in German it says: "Die ursprügliche Formel" which contains a spelling error...
10 tracks, 44 min., RMM, 1999
"Distinto, diferente" (different) is the second album of the All Star group from Cuba directed and produced by Juan de Marcos Gaonzález. Very true the cover says: "The second All-Stars album features Havana's multi-generational big band embracing a more modern dance-orientated sound. Deploying a variety of styles, the extraordinary cast of over fifty musicians delivers a unique take on Cuban classics and Juan de Marcos' original compositions. Old freinds including Ibrahim Ferrer, Rubén González, "Puntillita", Omara Portuondo, Barbarito Torres, "Cachito" López and "Guajiro" Marbal (all from Buena Vista Social Club), are joined by a host of formidable new recruits."
10 tracks, World Circuit, 1999
The CD cover tells us: "The Afro-Cuban All Stars is a gathering of four generations of Cuba's most brilliant musicians. Coming together for the first time in a Havana studio to play a repertoire of old and new classics, their performances highlight the unique depth, variety and vitality of Cuban music. Featured on lead vocals are some of the great soneros from the golden age of the '50s. The sic-piece horn section with Guajiro Mirabal on trumpet is made up from Havana's celebrated Tropicana Orchestra and the superlative rhythm section combines "Cachaíto" on bass, with percussionsits including Miguel "Angá" and Julienne Oviedo, the hottest of Cuba's new young stars."
I think this is not exaggerated. For me this is one of the best CDs of the late 90ies. This recording has such a "personality" and of course sounds so different from the many American Salsa releases. Wonderful arrangements, strong and rich horn arrangements and vocals full of emotion. This CD I like even much more than the "Buena Vista Social Club". Also it has the advantage that Ry Cooder's guitar (which many friends of Salsa and Son find a little misplaced in Cuban recordings) is missing :-)
The All Stars are the second project of Bandleader Juan de Marcos González. With Sierra Maestra, Cuba's best known Son-Group, together with musicians of his age he wanted to preserve the tradition and root of the son. With the All Stars he brought together legendary musicians. Among others there are: the soneros Ibrahím Ferrer, Pio Leyva, Manueal 'Puntillita' Licea, Raúl Planas, Félix Valoy, José Antonio 'Maceo' Rodríguez; on piano Rubén González; on Bass Orlando 'Cachaíto' Lopez, who already acompanied Arsenio Rodriguez; on congas Miguel 'Angá'. Singer Ibrahím Ferrer worked with the Who's Who of Cuban music from Beny Moré to Rubén González. "A toda Cuba le gusta" (Whole Cuba likes it) was nominated for a Grammy!
10 tracks, 56 min., World Circuit, 1997
Zu Recht hat der Latin-Musikversand "Música Latina" diese CD zum "Kuba-Tip des Jahres" ernannt. Die CD enthält eine excellente Auswahl neuer Arrangements von 11 Mega-Klassikern der Kubanischen Musik z.B. "Son de la Loma" (von Miguel Matamoros), "Mambo Jambo" (von Pérez Prado), "El Bodeguero", "Chan Chan" (von Compay Segundo), "Guantanamera", "El Manisero", "Hasta Siempre" usw. Der Untertitel "Clásicos al Estilo de los 50s" trifft genau das Konzept dieser CD. Die Kultur der erstklassigen Orchester in gepflegten Nachtclubs vergangener Jahrzehnte lebt hier wieder auf und läßt träumen von wahrer Musik weit entfernt von kaltem Techno und industriell gefertigtem Pop. Produzent und Arrangeur ist der Kubaner Ricardo Alvarez, der in Kuba und Lateinamerika mit vielen bekannten Gruppen und Künstlern zusammengerabeitet hat. Seit 5 Jahren lebt und arbeitet er in Hamburg. Er ist zugleich Pianist und Komponist. Er steuerte auch eine fetzige Eigenkomposition bei: "Cubanísimo", ein wahrer Ohrwurm, der seit vielen Wochen in den Salsa-Discos läuft und dessen Text von der Kubanischen Musik und ihren Gefühlen erzählt. Diese Platte ist ein "Muß" für jede Salsa/Son-Sammlung! Ricardo Alvarez gründete ein 9-köpfiges "Conjunto", mit dem er das Album 1998 im eigenen Studio aufnahm und auf dem eigenen Label "Alvarez Music" veröffentlichte. Den Flair der 50er Jahre bringen sie auch live mit ihre Show inclusive passendem "Outfit" auf die Bühne. Cubanísimo präsentiert verschiedene Stile des Kubanischen Musikvermächtnisses und arbeiten dabei sehr gut ihre Charakteristika heraus durch Arrangement und Instrumentierung. Man beachte z.B. im Mambo "Jambo" das Baßspiel und die Bläserläufe des Saxophons. Oder typisch im "Charanga Cha Cha"-Stil von "El Bodeguero" das Spiel der Querflöte oder auch des Basses. Die wundervollen Melodien der berühmten Klassiker, interpretiert in schönen Vocal- und Chorsätzen, erzeugen eine wohlige Gänsehaut beim konzentrierten Zuhören. Ich denke da z.B. an das schöne Arrangement von "Chan Chan", das ich gerade noch life bei Compay Segundo hörte und von Ricardo Alvarez mindestens genausogut interpretiert wird. Die Aufnahme gelang sehr exakt und professionell und ist doch gleichzeitig sehr warm und gefühlvoll. Etwa die Streicher klingen sehr echt, obwohl sie doch wahrscheinlich per Synthesizer eingespielt wurden. Die differenzierte Aufnahme läßt alle Instrumente und Stimmen gut erkennen. Nichts wurde zugematscht oder überproduziert. Die Musiker aus Kuba (überweigend), Deutschland, England und Schweden zeigen ihre Virtuosität u.a. in Solos, z.B. die Congas in "Son de la Loma", im gleichen Lied auch die Flöte, wie auch in "El Bodeguero". Das Gold klassischer kubanischer Kompositionen formte Ricardo Alvarez mit kundiger Hand zu neuen funkelnden Schmuckstücken. Wieder ein Beweis, daß professionelle Salsa/Son-Produktionen mit Weltniveau auch in Deutschland entstehen können!
12 tracks, 56 min., Alvarez Music, 1998
Finally after a long pause of 3 years a new record from Superstar Juan Luis Guerra! Worldwide it climbed the Latin charts. On the CD you find 4 powerfull Merengues of different types. My favourite are: "Mi PC" and "El Niágara en bicicleta". Furthermore there are 2 Bachatas, one Salsa piece and 4 Balladas. The slow Ballad pieces were recorded with very few instruments. Mainly only Juan Luis Guerra's voice and his guitar, some also with accordeon and violins or piano. Accordingsly the cover photo shows Juan Luis Guerra playing his guitar. Texts and compositions of all songs are from Juan Luis Guerra himself. Once more he composed some wonderful melodies! Arturo Sandoval plays the solo trumpet in the song "El prima" and Flügelhorn in "Vale la pena".
11 tracks, 37 min., Karen, 1998.
A very good and extensive (73 min!) Cuba sampler containing the styles from traditional Son to modern Cuban Salsa (e.g. Paulito y su elité), also with a touch of Timba. It includes big names, groups which are successfull in Cuba for years, but unfortunately not so well know in Europe: Juan Carlos Alfonso y Dan Den, Elio Reve, Carlos Embale y Septeto Nacional, Paulito y su elité, Orquesta Aragon, Irakere. The record contains two very popular classic ever greens: Manisero, Caballo Viejo ! 17 tracks, 73 min.
A long album (74 min) packed with traditional Cuban songs. The style is "Son" which heavily relies on the "Tres", the Cuban guitar. This record is especially interesting for all the new fans of Cuban music who got to know it through listening to the Buena Vista Social Club and the Afro Cuban All Stars. Songs of well known artists like Carlos Embale, Sierra Mestra, Sexteto Habanero, Sexteto and Septeto Nacional. Cuarteto Paria presents the song "Chan Chan", which is one of the great Compay Segundo's famous songs. Elena la Cumbanchera When bying compilations of old Cuban material one has to be careful whether the recording quality is sufficient. Here the sound is ok because the record was remastered digitally. 17 tracks, 74 min., Edenways, France, licensed by EGREM Havana, 1997
Sierra Maestra is a very famous Son group from Cuba. On this latest recording you hear why!
The beautifully designed booklet contains the songs texts in Spanish and English. This record makes me dream of Cuba, the island full of music...
10 tracks, 41 min., World Circuit, 1997
This CD has the typical Niche-Sound and thus is of classical Salsa style. It features cutting horns including trombones and strong vocals and choros. It is perfect for dancing. But the production is not very varied regarding arrangements and rhythms!
10 tracks, 51 min., 1997
This descarga style recording belongs to the Jazz genre. I miss the singing: it's all intrumental. With some vocal coros it would be more varied. Unfortunately the recording quality is mediocre. It is nearly "mono" and the high frequencies are missing. The percussion instruments were put a little in the background. So the excellent solos of Tata Güines on congas cannot be heard very clearly and expressively.
The All-Stars ensemble comprises: Chucho Valdés (Piano), Tata Güines (Tumbadora, Percussion), Orlando López "Cachaito" (Bass), Richard Egües (Flute), Eduardo López (Timbales), Pedro Arioza (Güiro), Frank Emilio (Piano), Miguel O'Farrill (Fute), Alberto Corrales (Flute).
7 tracks, Tumbao Cuban Classics, 1997
Órgano Caribe is a "Mini"-Salsa-Band using a Cuban barrel-organ. Following an old Cuban tradition the band joins their organ with Congas, Bongos and Timbales. They perform new and traditional songs in the style of Mambos, Cha Cha Chas and Salsa. E.g. Mambo Jambo (Perez Prado), Guantanamera (J. Marti/J. Fernandez) or Rico Vacilon (Rosendo Ruiz Jr.). This Cd presents unusual new sounds! At the end of the 19th century the first barrel-organ came to Cuba from Paris. It was brought to Manzanillo, a small town in the east of Cuba. It was owned by the composer Franzisco Borbolla, who named it "Matilde". Borbolla used the organ to accompany the traditional Cuban dances. Long punched stripes stored the Son- and Danzon-pieces for the organ. His sons continued his work and spread this type of music in the whole eastern part of Cuba. Today in whole Cuba there are organ groups which play Salsa, Danzon and ChaChaCha at dance fiestas.
Short CD, 7 tracks, 20 Min., can only be ordered from the following address for DM 20: Rainer Redeker, An der Meerwiese 115, D-48157 Münster, Germany. Tel./Fax: 0251 - 75 49 81. EMail: R.Redeker@t-online.de
This excellent record comprises Son, Salsa and Latin Jazz. It is very varied and has different rhythms and styles incl. son, Ritmo Pilon, 6/8, rumba. You hear exellent musicians like for example Alfredo Rodríguez on piano and Tata Güines on congas and percussion. 3 songs are sung by Rojitas.
From the liner notes: "Cubanismo!'s eponymous debut was a Billboard Top Ten Tropical/Salsa album in 1996, astonishing the Latin world by revitalizing classig Cuban dances and earning superlatives from Latin, Jazz and World Music media. On Malembe Jesús Alemañy leads the band deeper into its Cuban roots, this time adding the vocal pyrotechnics of rising Cuban salsa star "Rojitas". Rojitas became one of the best known young voices in Cuba after spending several years as lead vocalist with Adalberto Álvarez y sy Son. Jesús Alemañy at the age of 15 joined Sierra Maestra. His swaggering and fiery trumpet was part of that timeless nonet for about 15 years. Unlike the prefabricated stars of Salsa, Jesús Alemañy offers a musical alternative based on the descarga (jam session) concept that was developed in Cuba in the 1950s. This enables Jesús Alemañy to keep the connection with the dancers while allowing his players to improvise in a style which is wholly their own."
9 tracks, Rykodisc, Hannibal, www.rykodisc.com, 1997
This record features modern Cuban Son. Adalberto Alvarez is the director of his orquesta and has composed most songs himself. This CD is recorded in Havana and has a nice full sound. That is due to Adalberto Alvarez' "big band" which has 14 musicians! The voices are very varied since Adalberto Alvarez has three "cantantes". The powerful hornsection consists of two trumpets and two trombones. In addition to the piano you will also hear a synthesizer as usual in modern Cuban music; but it is not too disturbing. The keyboards are played by Dorgeris Alvarez and Yanithza Alvarez, probably daughters of Adalberto. Luis Alvarez plays the timbal.
The style I would describe as modern Cuban Son. I see this album in the middle between traditional son on the one hand and the most innovative and "modern" Cuban music (e.g. Los Van Van, NG La Banda) on the other hand. The songs are mid to up tempo including one ballad. My favourite is the title track: a nice Salsa/Son but with guira instead of guiro and the bass plays straight on the beats instead of playing on the clave notes as usual.
9 tracks, 43 min., Caribe Productions / Milan Latino / BMG, 1995
This is the new production of one of the best Salsa orchestras in Europe. It was recorded live in Munich in 1995. The German Rudi Fuesers is the founder and leader of Conexion Latina. He plays trombone. Three decades ago he discovered Salsa on a trip to Puerto Rico. He integrated musicians from Germany, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Denmarkd and the US. E.g. at the timbales whe hear the well known Nicky Marrero who earlier played with Fania. Vocals are by Javier Plaza, one of the at least in Germany known Salsa singers.
This album features classical Salsa arrangements for Salsa-Big-Bands with many intricate breaks. Sometimes it also tends a little bit towards the style of Bigband Jazz. The vocals are of the typical Sonero- and Solo-Choro-style. Conexion Latina has a very powerful horn section. The songs are all mid- to up-tempo.
9 tracks, 60 min., Enja Records, Munich (in the US: Koch International), 1996
This is a nice and varied Merenge record. It contains uptempo as well as midtempo Merengue tracks. There is also one Disco/Pop/House-Merengue song and one Ballad which is a mixture of Salsa, Pop and latin Jazz. The melodies are wonderfull. They don't get out of your head after you heard them first time. I heard this record all the time after I bought it. My favourite song is "Ni tu ni yo". On several tracks Sergio Vargas sings with a very melodious and romantic voice while the rhythm is still the driving fast Merengue! Merengue con emoción! Although here and there some synthesizer sound can be heard this is not one of those "plastic Merengue" records which I don't like so much. We hear fine horns and crispy Merengue percussions. Merengue for your heart and feet! For listening, dancing - or for your rendezvous with your girl/boy friend (yes I checked it out that way! :-) ). A well known german Salsa-Mail-Order company says that this is the best Merengue record of the year 1996. Sergio Vargas is a Master singer and has one of the best orchestras, which still uses the Tambora instead of the drum computer. The congas are played by Pedro "Chichi" Peralta who became known as a solo artist.
12 tracks, 54 min., BMG US Latin, 1996.
This is a welldone Salsa CD, produced by Willie Colon himself. It was recorded in Puerto Rico and New York. Of course you will hear a lot of trombone since Willie Colon not only is an excellent singer but also plays trombone. The record also includes one Cumbia and one song nicely starts with Samba...
8 tracks, 38 min. (yes, it's a rather short production!), FonoVisa, 1995
Salsa fans should be warned. This is not a Caribbean music album like the fantastic "Mi Tierra" or "Abriendo Puertos" (which of course are sung in Spanish) with English texts. But it is a good "Pop" CD with very interesting arrangements and a lot of "Ehno" influences. Ethnic instruments like Saz and Tres were used. You will hear a lot of percussion. Besides the usual percussion instruments the arrangers added for example Batá, Surdo and Guiro.
Normally on Pop records you will hear 4/4 rhythms. But on this album the songs "Destiny" (No. 1) and "Steal your heart" (3) are in 6/8! And am I right that I hear even on the party song "You'll be mine" (5) a 6/8 pulse behind the heavy disco bass and bass drum?
Many acoustic instruments (instead of synthesizers) make the sound natural, warm and fresh: acoustic guitar, tres, saz, strings, brass. Most of the songs ar ballads. Half of them heavily orchestrated with strings. I ask myself: are these strings nowadays still real violins (I hope so!) or done by synthesizers? To me they sound real.
For all the parents among us there is the beautiful song "Along Came You" dedicated to Gloria's child Emily (you will hear her). It includes the instrument "Mandocello" (never heard that before). The only up-tempo songs are the tropical dancing rockets "You'll be mine" (5) and the Samba groove "Higher" (9).
11 tracks, 51 min., Sony Epic, 1996
The all-star recording features masters from Cuba: Chucho Valdés and his band Irakere, Changuito - one of the world's best percussionists -, Los Munequitos De Matanzas, Orquesta Aragon's flautist Richard Egues and many more. This Latin Jazz CD was recorded live in 1994 at the first Afrocubanismo festival in Canada. Though recorded live the technical quality is very good.
7 tracks, 62 min., Bembé Records, 1996
within the excerpt from "Hispanic Online" at "America Online": e.g. Juan Luis Guerra: "Fogarate" Oscar D'Leon: "El Sonero del Mundo"
