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DVDfever.co.uk – Putumayo World Music presents Salsa! CD reviewElly Roberts reviews
Putumayo World Music
- Released: Out now
- Rating: 8/10
Putumayos slogan for this release is Guaranteed To Make You Feel Good. Too right.
Having trawled the Latin world in search of the legends and rising stars of Salsa (sauce) Putumayo have hit the bulls-eye once again.
In the historical context, it was Cuban musician Ignacio Pineiro who coined the name by insisting his band (way back in the 1920s) to echale salsita, meaning, throw a little salsa on it, encouraging them to add some fire to the music, to give it that extra thrust to would keep the dancers moving all night long. It worked.As per usual, Putumayos selection process is as meticulous as ever.
If theres evidence needed that Salsa is still a flourishing phenomenon around the globe then this CD is it. This indigenous and ever-expanding sound has spawned endless dance competitions , international congresses and dance classes, giving new careers to both musicians and dancers.The nature of Salsa (sauce) implies something spicy, and theres plenty of that going on here, providing us with images of dancers shaking their hips to the sultry rhythms and beats.
Kicking off the party we have Colombian colourful outfit Grupo Gale with Voler, Voler (Return, Return). Their four singers and huge band hail from Medellin, a salsa stronghold. This sharp and pulsating song of lament for their homeland from 1995 album Afirmando is sure to get you fired up. (Check their performance on YouTube). The hard work is done by their amazing acoustic guitarist. Grammy-award winning Poncho Sanchezs El Shing-A-Ling is a nice slice of his Mexican- American roots, where the conguero (conga player) unleashes his mercurial percussive talents. Theres a kind of early Santana feel about this one.
Chico Alvarez has been fronting Cuban son and Latin jazz groups since the 1970s. Brooklyn-born Chico whose interests include graphic design, music history, radio production, is also a talented arranger, band leader and singer. Rumba en el Solar (Rumba In The Backyard) recorded in 1978, was one of his first recordings as band leader.Born to Puerto Rican parents in New York, Eddie Palmieri is synonymous with reinventing tropical music via complex arrangements and eclectic, award-winning albums like The Sun Of Latin Music (1976) that won him a Grammy. This lush gem from his 2003 Ritmo Caliente album, Sujetate la Lengua (Hold Your Tongue) is a clever jazz-inflected cover of a Sonora Matancera song about the perils of gossip.
If I had to choose a favourite its the 60s tinged Son al Son by one of Cubas leading ensembles Orquesta Aragon featuring Cheo Feliciano. Formed in 1939, the band are standard bearers of the delicious Charanga format which unites sounds of violins and flute with subtle swinging Afro-Cuban percussion.In 1970 Ernesto Fruko Estrada formed Fruko y Sus Tesos with musical director Mario Pachanga Rincon, in an effort to match the sounds of NYs Fania All-Stars. Since then theyve been at the top of the pile on the international salsa scene. Their Naci en la Barriada tells of the perilous existence in Colombias urban neighbourhoods. The street is not like a jungle / That you can cross / Unworried and relaxed that nothing bad will happen / It is different during the day / It is a hell at night where only the brave dare go.
Ay Valeria! is a rasping combination Congolese rumba and soukouss with Cuban son montuno, Dominican merenge and other Latin American musical forms. Its created by Congolese musician Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca whose work crosses cultural boundaries.
The verdict: Essential listening.
Weblink:putumayo.com
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Volver, Volver Grupo Gale
2. El Shing-A-Ling Poncho Sanchez
3. Rumba en el Solar Chico Alvarez
4. Sujetate la Lengua Eddie Palmieri
5. Son al Son Orquesta Aragon feat. Cheo Feliciano
6. Muneca Son Boricua
7. Naci en la Barriada Fruko y Sus Tesos
8. Ay Que Rico Jose Conde y Ola Fresca
9. Ay Valeria! Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca
10. Angoa Juanito y la Agresiva
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.