Monday, March 12, 2007

Compay Segundo - Balcon de Santiago






















Tracklist


01. Balcon de santiago (Francisco Repilado) bolero son
02. La lengua (Francisco Repilado) guaracha
03. Guananey (Francisco Repilado) son
04. Juramento (Miguel Matamoros) bolero
05. Ahora me da pena (Francisco Repilado) son
06. Filiberto (Francisco Repilado) bolero son
07. Oui parle français (Francisco Repilado) merengue
08. La juma de ayer (Walfrido Guevara) guaracha
09. Siguel el paso no 1 (Francisco Repilado) son
10. La mujer del peso (Sara N.Rodriguez) guaracha
11. Sera cuando tu digas (Mozo Borguella) son montuno
12. Un jardinero de amor (Radames isaac) merengue
13. Voy pa'mayari ((Francisco Repilado) son
14. Anita (Francisco Repilado, Hierrezuelo) son montuno
15. Siguel el paso no 2 (Francisco Repilado) son


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Celina Gonzales - The Cuban Legend




















Tracklist


01. Mi Tierra Es Asi
02. Yo Soy El Punto Cubano
03. Santa Barbara
04. Oye Mi Le Lo Ley
05. Aguacero, Aguacerito
06. Por Que
07. Orquidea De La Montana
08. Lagrimas Negras
09. El Encanto De Tu Boca
10. Paisajes Naturales
11. El Guarapo Y La Melcocha
12. Alborada Guajira
13. Guateque Campesino
14. El Cuarto De Tula
15. El Reto
16. Mi Son Es Un Misterio
17. Muero De Olvido
18. Pedacito De Mi Vida
19. Guajira Linda
20. Guarapo, Pimenta Y Sal
21.Me Tenias Amarrao Con P.


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Part I

Part II

Big Band Cuba - Irazu






















Artist: Big Band Cuba
Album: Irazu
Genre: Latin
Year: 1999


Tracklist


01 - El Cumbanchero
02 - Bilongo
03 - Rumberos del Irazu
04 - Laura
05 - A puerto padre
06 - Mambo Inn
07 - Danzon del corazon
08 - Timbalero
09 - El jamaiquino
10 - Me voy contigo
11 - El Manisero

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Part I

Part II

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Cuban Jam Session Vol 2





















Tracklist


  1. Trombon Criollo
  2. Controversia De Matales
  3. Estudio En Trompeta
  4. Guaseo De Saxos
  5. Oye Mi Tres Montuno
  6. Malanga Amarilla
  7. Jam Session
  8. Rumba Theme
  9. Bata Rhythm
  10. Pamparana
  11. Cogele El Golpe
  12. Descarga Cubana
  13. Goza Mi Trompeta
  14. A Gozar Timbero

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Part I

Part II

Cuban Jam Session Vol 1






















Tracklist


  1. INTRODUCTION (Orq. J. Gutierrez)
  2. THEME ON PERFIDIA (Orq. J. Gutierrez)
  3. THEME ON MAMBO (Orq. J. Gutierrez)
  4. CIMARRON (Orq. J. Gutierrez)
  5. MONTUNO GUAJIRO (Nino Rivera y sus Cubans All Stars)
  6. CHA, CHA, CHA, MONTUNO (Nino Rivera y sus Cubans All Stars)
  7. THEME ON CHA, CHA, CHA (Orq. J. Gutierrez)
  8. OPUS FOR DANCING (Orq. J. Gutierrez)
  9. THEME FOR CONGA (Orq. J. Gutierrez)
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Part I

Part II

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Ibrahim Ferrer - Buenos Hermanos

At 77, Ibrahim Ferrer has lost none of his cheeky charm. Buenos Hermanos lives beautifully up to its title--"Good Brothers"--with those Cuban stalwarts Cachaito Lopez and Chucho Valdes joined by that genius of the electric guitar, Manuel Galban, and with the Blind Boys of Alabama enriching the basic mix. Moreover, Ry Cooder, who originally coaxed Buena Vista Social Club into life, here acts as midwife once again. This CD, he says, was "the last chance in the world today to work with such a voice." Well, Ferrer's voice no longer has the ringing exhilaration we heard on his solo album, Ibrahim Ferrer. His effects are more muted now, more laid back, but they still cover a kaleidoscopic range of tone and color. He delivers his boleros with lovely swing, and he radiates the genuineness of a premarketing age. It's easy to believe that most of these tracks were one-takes: the whole thing has wonderful freshness.




Tracklist

  1. Boquiñeñe
  2. Buenos Hermanos
  3. La Música Cubana
  4. Guaguancó Callejero
  5. Naufragio
  6. Como El Arrullo De Palma
  7. Perfume De Gardenias
  8. Mil Congojas
  9. Hay Que Entrarle A Palos A Ése
  10. No Tiene Telaraña
  11. Fuiste Cruel
  12. Boliviana
  13. Oye El Consejo


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Buena Vista Social Club - Rhythms Del Mundo

Created as a benefit project for Artists' Project Earth, an organization devoted to protecting the environment, reversing climate change, and tendering disaster relief, this compilation pairs Western pop stars (U2, Sting, Artic Monkeys, et al) and their hits with all-new arrangements performed by members of Cuba’s Buena Vista Social Club plus other Havana-based talent. The overall effect is of a well-meaning but not entirely simpatico mutual admiration society. Coldplay's "Clocks" is a good example; the lead vocal is coolly lethargic, engulfing the spiky crags of the rhythm section like syrup on a waffle. But then, most of the singers sound strangely unconnected to the frisky 1-2-3/1-2 of the clavé beat. The contrast between the two groups of players could have been bracing, and to many ears it perhaps will be, but most of the time, they seem to transmitting from parallel universes. Not surprisingly, the best tracks are those in which hometown icons are left to do what they do best. But the late, great Ibrahim Ferrer's marvelous interpretation of "As Time Goes By" (his final recording) and Omara Portuondo's wistful yet powerful cover of "Killing Me Softly" only serve to further showcase what’s amiss with the rest of the album.



Tracklist

  1. COLDPLAY - Clocks
  2. JACK JOHNSON - Better Together
  3. ARCTIC MONKEYS - Dancing Shoes
  4. DIDO and FAITHLESS - One Step Too Far
  5. IBRAHIM FERRER - As Time Goes By
  6. U2 with COCO FREEMAN - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
  7. MAROON 5 - She Will Be Loved
  8. KAISER CHIEFS - Modern Way
  9. OMARA PORTUONDO - Killing Me Softly
  10. VANYA and RDM featuring QUINCY JONES - Ai No Corrida
  11. STING - Fragilidad
  12. VANYA and RHYTHMS DEL MUNDO - Don't Know Why
  13. AQUILA ROSE and IDANIA VALDEZ - Hotel Buena Vista
  14. FRANZ FERDINAND - The Dark Of The Matinee
  15. LELE featuring RADIOHEAD - High And Dry
  16. IBRAHIM FERRER - Casablanca (As Time Goes By)


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Charangas En Cuba - La Cumbancha





















Tracklist


  1. San Luisera
  2. Quisiera Tomar Champola
  3. Abrele Camino Al Son
  4. Y Me Miras Así
  5. Amor A Mi Tierra Cubana
  6. Me Gusta Tocar El Son
  7. Papa Montero
  8. La Gloria Es Mi Son
  9. Sun Sun Paloma.
  10. Tradicionales
  11. La Sitiera


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The Conga Kings - Jazz Descargas

The Conga Kings are back with their second Chesky Records release to prove that these master congueros have more rhythmic tales to tell. Featuring Candido Camero, Carlos "Patato" Valdes and Giovanni Hidalgo, Jazz Descargas is a spontaneous celebration of modern rhythm and melody, a joyous colloquium of Jazz and Afro-Cuban sounds by the likes of Machito, Dizzy Gillespie and Tito Puente. Historically, musically and conceptually, this rhythmic dream team is creating the genuine article. The Conga Kings are the originals giving energized performances from the musical revolution they helped to create. The Conga Kings are joined on Jazz Descargas by special guests Phil Woods, Mario Rivera, Chocolate and Jimmy Bosch.



Tracklist

  1. Un Poco Loco
  2. Tin Tin Deo
  3. Caravan
  4. Tumbao De Tamborito
  5. A Night in Tunisia
  6. Oye Como Va
  7. Manteca
  8. Conga Descarga
  9. The Peanut Vendor
  10. Chocolate Descarga


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Part I

Part II

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Buena Vista Social Club Presents Ibrahim Ferrer

It should never cease to amaze how spry and dramatically potent a force is the Buena Vista Social Club. The group--really a gaggle of aging Cuban maestros brought together for stunning all-star performances--keeps its footing in Cuban dance music at the same time as it revels in the lax tempo of layered hand percussion and traditional rhythms. Ibrahim Ferrer stepped to the international fore as the vocalist on the eponymous BVSC CD in 1997 and here furthers his already-obvious command of everything from sultry, horn-swaying ballads to gritty son tunes like "Mamí Me Gustá." Ferrer's tattered vocal inflections shape the more rollicking tunes so their texture is palpable, especially when belted in antiphonal give-and-takes with the rest of the huge band he totes along here. A 15-member-strong string section steps forward on the bolero tracks, which send off a smoldering passion that's startling in light of the BVSC's heightened, horn-charged charts. But the rich string passages color songs in wide brush strokes, which is to say that they heighten the passion to no end. Ferrer's debut might come in his twilight years, but it's a majorly luminous event.



Tracklist

  1. Bruca Manigua
  2. Herido De Sombras
  3. Marieta
  4. Guateque Campesino
  5. Mami Me Gusto
  6. Nuestra Ultima Cita
  7. Cienfuegos Tiene Su Guaguanco
  8. Silencio
  9. Aquellos Ojos Verdes
  10. Que Bueno Baila Usted
  11. Como Fue

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Buena Vista Social Club - The Stars of The Buena Vista






















Tracklist


  1. Te apartas de mi
  2. La Chica del Granizado
  3. Mucho Corazón
  4. Fabiando
  5. Bajo un Palmar
  6. Quizáz, Quizáz El Niche
  7. Si te contara
  8. Que Lío, Compáy Andres
  9. Rumberos del Ayer
  10. Pare cochero
  11. Son de Baloy

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Buena Vista Social Club Presents Omara Portoundo

While she came to global prominence as the female singer on the Buena Vista Social Club
album and in the film, Omara Portuondo has a career that--like the other articipants--stretches back many years. She puts her experience to good use on this record, sounding for all the world like a Cuban Billie Holiday, smoky and quietly tragic, with a history of lost love. The lush arrangements, which often sound transplanted straightfrom 1950s Havana, frame her voice exquisitely while guests such as Ibrahim Ferrer, CompaySegundo, and Rubén González add their inimitable talents to the mix. Her reading of "The
Man I Love" ("El Hombre Que Yo Ame") is also a microcosm of the disc--slightly jazzy, with a yearning vocal that's emotive without ever being overwrought. There's little doubt that Portuondo is a world-class singer, and this is the ideal showcase for her extraordinary talents.



Tracklist

  1. La Sitiera
  2. He Perdido Contigo
  3. Donde Estabas Tu?
  4. Mariposita De Primavera
  5. Canta Lo Sentimental
  6. Ella Y Yo
  7. No Me Vayas A Enganar
  8. No Me Llores Mas
  9. Veinte Anos
  10. El Hombre Que Yo Ame (The Man I Love)
  11. Siempre En Mi Corazon

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Buena Vista Social Club

The Buena Vista Social Club was the name of a members-only music club in Havana, Cuba that was at its height during the 1940s. In the late 1990s Wim Wenders made a movie upon the initiative of Ry Cooder called Buena Vista Social Club about some of the musicians who had performed there and their involvement in the production of an album released in 1997 also called Buena Vista Social Club. Both movie and album were highly successful, and started a craze for Cuban music in the United States and Europe. A number of subsequent albums featuring the same musicians have been released, with the title "Buena Vista Social Club" being used as something like a brand to link them.


Members

  • Juan de Marcos González
  • Ibrahim Ferrer
  • Rubén González
  • Compay Segundo
  • Ry Cooder
  • Pío Leyva
  • Manuel "Puntillita" Licea
  • Orlando "Cachaito" López
  • Manuel "Guajiro" Mirabal
  • Eliades Ochoa
  • Omara Portuondo
  • Barbarito Torres
  • Amadito Valdés
  • Joachim Cooder


Tracklist

  1. Chan Chan (Compay Segundo)
  2. De Camino a la Vereda (Ibrahim Ferrer)
  3. El Cuarto de Tula (Ry Cooder)
  4. Pueblo Nuevo (Rubén González)
  5. Dos Gardenias (Ibrahim Ferrer)
  6. Y Tú Qué Has Hecho? (Compay Segundo)
  7. Veinte Años (Omara Portuondo)
  8. El Carretero (Eliades Ochoa)
  9. Candela (Ibrahim Ferrer)
  10. Amor de Loca Juventud (Compay Segundo)
  11. Orgullecida (Compay Segundo)
  12. Murmullo (Ibrahim Ferrer)
  13. Buena Vista Social Club (Ry Cooder)
  14. La Bayamesa (Manuel Licea)


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Kind of Afro Cubano Jazz



















Tracklist


  1. Mongo Santamaria - Watermelon Man
  2. Ray Barretto - La Cuna
  3. The Art Blakey Percussion Ensemble - Cubano Chant
  4. Orlando Poleo - El Buen Camino
  5. Cedar Walton - Latin America
  6. Paquito D'Rivera - Manceta
  7. Santana - Para Los Rumberos
  8. Ray Barretto - The Old Castle
  9. Michel Camilo - Caribe
  10. Los Super Seven - Teresa

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Part I

Part II

Candido Fabre - Al Son De La Salsa






















Tracklist


  1. Olvidame, que yo te olvide
  2. Tanto que me quiere, tanto que la quiero
  3. Guayabita del pinar
  4. Que voy a hacer con el merengue
  5. A palo no
  6. A Cualquiera se la bota
  7. Via Libre que viene La Original
  8. Traigo La Ultima
  9. Acabo de Llegar
  10. Sea lo que sea y Pase lo que pase
  11. Que le pasa a Chacumbele
  12. El Cinturon del Taxi
  13. Soy Cubano y Soy de Oriente

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Part I

Part II

Batata Y Su Rumba Palenquera - Radio Bakongo

Setuagenarian percussionist, singer and songwriter Paulino Salgado 'Batata' hails from the village of San Basilio de Palenque, hidden away in an isolated mountain range close to Colombia's Caribbean coast. This is the legendary 'village of the Cimarróns', founded four centuries ago by Africans who had escaped the slave port of nearby Cartagena. They successfully defended it from attack by the Spanish, who eventually gave up and 'granted' them their freedom.

Batata and his excellent band specialise in son palenquera and champeta, and may already have come to your attention through the inclusion of the track Ataole on the "Champeta Criolla Vol. 2" compilation. That CD focussed largely on Cartagena's sound system based form of champeta, a newish hybrid style which cannibalises pan-African and indigenous Colombian influences, spicing them up with mucho shouting and sometimes irritating use of trashy effects. What might be a lot of fun at a rum-fuelled street party makes for a sometimes wearing experience in other contexts.Thankfully Batata's band stick to a much rootsier groove, employing tiple, accordion, brass, twinkling soukous guitar, plenty of drummers and call-and-response vocals to create their hypnotic grooves.

Batata belongs to a famed dynasty of drummers and got his first break in the 1960s when he joined Toto la Momposina's group and toured with her for the next two decades. She's also recorded a number of his songs. The sleevenotes tellingly describe him as 'the Wendo Kolosoy of Colombia', and like that grand old man of Congolese rumba, he has a deliciously off-key lived in voice.



Tracklist

  1. Radio Champeta Cartagena
  2. Ataole
  3. Arriba voy, Abajo vengo
  4. El Cascabel
  5. La Vida es muy bonita
  6. Fuego
  7. Clavo y Martillo
  8. La Maya
  9. Las Cruces de Palenque
  10. La Reina de los Jardines
  11. Pobre mi Corazon
  12. Macaco Mata el Toro

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Part I

Part II

Monday, January 22, 2007

Babacar y El Sabor International - Bartolo





















Tracklist


  1. Bartolo
  2. Dieka
  3. Titina
  4. Sonerito
  5. Ricoson
  6. Nino Te Amo
  7. Guajira Ven
  8. Negra Linda
  9. Babacar
  10. Yaye Nelaw Na

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Part I

Part II

Arsenio Rodriguez - Dundunbanza

Arsenio Rodríguez was a Cuban musician who developed the son montuno. He was a prolific composer and wrote nearly two hundred songs.

He was born in Güira de Macurijes in the province of Matanzas. As a young child, Rodríguez was blinded when a horse (or possibly a mule) kicked him in the head.

Later, he became a musician, and eventually became one of the most renowned bandleaders on the island earning him the nickname "El Ciego Maravilloso". His music emphasized the Afro-Cuban rhythm as well as the melodic lead of the tres, which he played. In 1928 he played his own compositions with the Sexteto Boston, which disbanded in 1937 because as a blind he felt unable to be a bandleader, and he joined the Septeto Bellamar of cornettist José Interián. From 1940 to 1947 he led a band again, Arsenio Rodríguez y su Conjunto. He then went to New York where he hoped to get cured from his blindness but was told that his seeing nerves had been completely destroyed. This experience led him to compose the bolero La Vida es un Sueño (Life is a dream). He went on to play with percussionist Chano Pozo and other great players of what became Latin Jazz like Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, and Mario Bauza. He had success in the US and went to exile there in 1953. But at the end of the 1950s the Mambo craze more or less petered out, and Rodríguez showed no interest in modern Latin styles like Guaracha or Boogaloo. He tried a new start in Los Angeles but had no success and died there as a poor man in relative obscurity in 1971.



Tracklist

  1. Dundunbanza
  2. No Me Llores Más
  3. Tengo Que Olvidarte
  4. Llévatelo Todo
  5. Vuelvo A La Vida
  6. Pueblo Nuevo Se Pasó
  7. El Tabernero
  8. No Puedo Comer Vistagacha
  9. Me Siento Muy Solo
  10. Ta Benito Eh
  11. Soy Tu Destino
  12. Los Sitios Haceré
  13. Mi Convicción
  14. Deuda
  15. El Rumbón De Luyano
  16. En Su Partir
  17. Guaragüi
  18. Pobre Mi Cuba
  19. 19. Con Un Amor Se Borra Otro Amor

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Part I

Part II

Barbarito Torres - Havana Cafe


Barbarito Torres played as a guest instrumentalist on Buena Vista Social Club and A Toda Cuba Le Gusta before gathering together Cuba's premier musicians and recording this amazing debut. A sensual mix of Cuban son, danzon, and guaracha, Havana Cafe makes austere use of instrumentation, using only the laud (Cuban lute), guitar, percussion, and vocals to create a wall of wonderfully spirited music. "Hijo del Siboney" rings in the collection with bright melodies and vibrant guitars before the set goes on to boast gem after gem of traditional and contemporary Cuban music. Singer Pio Leyva lends his brassy bellow to two tracks, adding an authentic dimension that's refreshingly void of pretension and characteristic of this playful, joyous album. Singer Ibrahim Ferrer also appears in all of his romantic glory. It's rare when the "in the moment" chemistry of musicians collaborating is captured on disc, but with Havana Cafe, the chemistry is thankfully captured forever.




Tracklist

  1. Hijo Del Siboney
  2. La Calabaza
  3. Sarandonga
  4. Corazon De Chivo
  5. El Amor De Mi Bohio
  6. Lagrimas Negras
  7. Pensando
  8. Yo No Se
  9. Sublime Ilusion
  10. Camina Palo Chapiao
  11. Cangrejo No Tiene Na
  12. Los Celos De Mi Compay
  13. El Tren (Pico Y Pala)
  14. Alla Voy


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Part I

Part II

Buena Vista Social Club - The Next Generation

Following in the steps of the Buena Vista Social Club mania that in 1997 launched a worldwide revival of traditional Cuban music by an all-star cast of veteran septuagenarian and octogenarian players, we have Buena Vista: The Next Generation. This new all-star cast of players is comprised mostly of the children and grandchildren of some of the greatest Cuban music legends, under the musical direction of trombonist Juan Pablo Torres. Adding a fresh breath of flavor and sound to the traditional sounds of Cuban music in this recording are Rubén González Jr. on piano (son of Ruben González), vocalist Manuel Licea (son of singer Puntillita), bassist Lazaro López "Cachao" (nephew of Cachaito), vocalist Maria Ochoa (sister of Eliades Ochoa), vocalist Miguelito Cuní Jr. (son of the famous singer of the same name), percussionist Johannes Bonat García (son of vocalist Teresita García), vocalist Conchita Torres (sister of Barbarito Torres), trumpeter Elpidio Chappottín (son of Félix Chappottín), and Alejandro, Ernesto and Leonardo Repilado (the grandsons of Francisco Repilado, alias Compay Segundo). Special guest musicians include Generoso Jiménez, Tata Güines, Changuito, Julio Padrón, Raúl Plana, Pio Leiva, Lazaro Reyes, and Pancho Amat. Highlights include the tracks Los Herederos (which features the veteran vocalists on the lead and their siblings on chorus), Pa' Los Rumberos (featuring Conchita Torres on vocals), and the Compay Segundo classic Chan Chan (in a version interpreted by the grandsons of the composer). The CD is packed with plenty of rumbas, sones and other traditional Cuban rhythms.



Tracklist

  1. Los herederos intro
  2. Los herederos
  3. Así son con el son
  4. Rompe Saraguey
  5. Pa lo rumbero
  6. De todo un poco
  7. Palmira
  8. Sasauma coco
  9. Chan Chan
  10. Cómo está el mantecao
  11. Chiverico
  12. Qué rico son


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