Afro-Cuban Grooves
December 2006 By Rebeca Mauleón
Recuerdos
Bettrmusik
Seattle may be home to expensive coffee and software moguls, but it too has embraced the multicultural sound of Latin jazz fused with Cuban timba and more, as evidenced by the debut of Costa Rican vocalist Carlos Cascante. Produced, recorded and arranged...
December 2006 By Rebeca Mauleón
Siempre Salsa
Emlyn
Trombonist and composer Rick Davies may not have the name recognition associated with the major East Coast Latin trombone players, as his primary contributions in the field of Afro-Cuban music surround his scholarly research and publications on Cuban trumpet...
December 2006 By Rebeca Mauleón
Toda Una Vida
Locomotive
This posthumous release of Cuban veteran sonero Ibrahim Ferrer traces nearly three decades of his work with an array of Cuban artists between 1960 and 1988, including the orchestras of Pacho Alonso, Chepín-Chovén and others. Much in contrast to the more...
December 2006 By Rebeca Mauleón
Funky Cha
Zoho
Cuba has an amazing impact on jazz players. Once the island’s rhythm sinks its teeth into an unsuspecting soul, he or she is immediately transformed. Such is the case with bassist-composer Harvie S, whose sojourn to the forbidden island prompted a mid-career...
December 2006 By Rebeca Mauleón
Live at the Dakota Two
Dakota Live!
Former Cubanismo pianist and musical director Nachito Herrera returns with a follow-up live recording at Minneapolis’ Dakota Jazz Club in a Latin quartet setting, tearing through originals and revamped standards. Despite some unfortunate technical issues...
December 2006 By Rebeca Mauleón
Live!
This is the Hochstein School of Music faculty’s showcase concert and the players want to highlight their take on Latin and jazz standards, and it’s a fairly decent live recording (although the piano solos need to come up in the mix), but living up to the...
December 2006 By Rebeca Mauleón
Miami
Kwip
Looking at the CD cover laden with neon and, yes, pink flamingos, one might plan a trip back in time to the ’80s. With Miami, percussionist Gumbi Ortiz (pronounced “Goombi”) surrounds himself with all of the players from the era of strap-on keyboards and...
December 2006 By Rebeca Mauleón
Pasos Gigantes
Rumba Jams
This is salsa at its best. After a 16-year tenure with Puerto Rican salsa institution La Sonora Ponceña, percussionist “Little” Johnny Rivero showcases his compositional talents on this hip-shaking outing that’s sure to please salsa dura (tough salsa) enthusiasts...
December 2006 By Rebeca Mauleón
What You’ve Been Waiting for/Lo Que Esperabas
Shanachie
Miami-based timba band Tiempo Libre is one of very few contemporary Cuban groups in the U.S. to emphasize what many feel to be the more aggressive side of Cuban music. The intensity of timba is certainly not for everyone; this new-millennium form of “salsa...
December 2006 By Rebeca Mauleón
Skin Tones
One Soul
Colombian-born percussionist Samuel Torres makes his debut as a leader with a pastiche of textures and captivating compositions, accompanied by some top-notch Latin-jazz artists including the ever-funky John Benítez on bass, supreme pianist/composer Hector...
