Latin Beat Music Update

Latin Beat Magazine, Dec, 1999 by Nelson Rodriguez

It's been a great year for music, particularly coming from sources we didn't really expect. Cheo Feliciano, La Sonora Ponceña, Oscar D'Leon and Gilberto Santa Rosa all enjoyed great releases in 1999.

According to Rolando Carreta of WERS (the Gyroscope) 88.9 FM in Boston, the city is happening musically. La Timba Loca, which incorporates musicians from Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic and the United States is by far the best. I thoroughly enjoyed their demo tapes with the tracks Besito de Coco, Tibiri Tibara and Llorarás. If you like Charanga Habanera and Bamboleo, look out for this group.

Team Malin are Venezuelan Berklee students who know how to swing. Los Hermanos Moneada is a group led by two Japanese brothers who play a more traditional salsa style. The group Azafran plays fusion flamenco with jazz tinges. All very promising and exposed to Latin Beat through Rolando Carreta.

Colorado keeps cooking with KUVO's Carlos Lando, Ed Martínez and Rico Rogers.

Two new releases that go into my Top 10 of the Year are bass player Jorge Reyes' Tributo a Chano Pozo with guests Tata Güines and trumpeter Julio Padrón. The musical producer and co-arranger on this one is Germán Velasco, ex-Irakere member. The other top notch recording I se-leered for the Top Ten is Martin Arroyo and Frankie Vásquez's Los Soneros del Barrio that swings from beginning to end, with hip new versions of the hits El Piraguero, Salsa y Control, El Sonero del Barrio, El Número Seis, Ana y Saoco, and Que Se Sepa. A wonderful mood of the '70s pervades this production. A must for dancers.

Angel Cachete Maldonado of Batacumbele fame (one of the best band concepts of the century), just released Batacumbele En Concierto. The band's lineup includes Giovanni Hidalgo, Luis Quevedo, Jerry González, Nestor Torres, Anthony Carrillo, Endel Dueño, Eric Figueroa, Patato Valdés, Héctor Veneros and Eddie "Gua Gua" Rivera.

Some good new music includes a pleasant surprise -- Best Friends by Humberto Ramírez and Giovanni Hidalgo with band members Papo Lucca, Oskar Cartaya, "El Negro" Hernández, special guests Tito Puente, José "Mañengue" Hidalgo (Giovanni's father), and "Pipo" Ramírez (Humberto's father).

Young saxophonist Tony Martínez excelled on his CD MafereFun with his band The Cuban Power and musicians Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Julio Padrón, Angá Díaz, and Julio Barretto.

Victor Manuelle's Inconfundible is the hottest salsa CD of the moment with the first single, Pero Dile, having reached the number one slot on the air-waves.

Some of the better older stuff coming out includes Kako y Su Combo Gigante with the cover art form 1961; La Terrifica's Sabor a Pueblo with Yolanda Rivera and Hector Pichie Pérez before their Ponceña days, and Rafael DeJesús' Lo Que Fué No Será with Andy and Jerry González, Sonny Bravo, Nicky Marrero, Eddie Drennon, Louie Khan, and Reynaldo Jorge.

Orquesta La Solución, in which Frankie Ruiz made a name for himself, has released Alcanzar Una Estrella for the band's 25th anniversary. Cuto Soto is the producer as well as the trombone soloist. Homenaje a Frankie Ruiz is a nice touch on this recording.

Salsabor, Ray Sepúlveda's latest production with arrangements by Louis García, rocks with the hits Como Tiembla El Alma, Lo Necesario, and the two Domingo Quiñones compositions, Sabes Que Soy Aquel and Desde Que Te Conocí.

One of the best merengue CDs of the year is Jossie Esteban's Original with the happy tracks Las Mujeres, El Dinero, La Chula and Se Lo Roban Tó. The live track Quién Me Amará, a duet bonus featuring the pop vocalist Wilkins, is excellent.

Not Your Typical New Yorker, Joseph Diamond's impressive Latin jazz debut, has pianist Oscar Hernández and DJ Maria Von Dickersohn's blessings.

Dave Valentín's Sunshower, with guests Dave Samuels, Steve Khan, Ed Calle, and Rafael DeJesús will make his fans very happy.

Christmas music has gotten a shot in the arm with some really excellent releases this year, starting with derry Medina's De Parranda Con Jerry Medina, one of the best I've heard in a long time. Salsa aguinaldos really swing on this one and so does Brindis Navideño, featuring Tony Vega and Michael Stuart, arranged by Louis Garcia.

Parrandas Que Llegan, with El Grupo Mapeyé y Los Soneros de Borinquen joins La Orquesta Nacional de Puerto Rico and vocalists Pedro Brull, Charlie Aponte, Primi Cruz, Pichie Pérez, Marvin Santiago, Alex D'Castro, Papo Sánchez, Sammy Marrero, Luigi Texidor, and Andy Montañez. A great concept with a great lineup.

1999 has been very good to Latin jazz. Paquito D'Rivera with a big band released Tropical Nights (Un Paraiso Bajo Las Estrellas de Cuba); Arturo Sandoval's Americana features his special tinge on pop classics by Sting, the Carpenters, Chicago, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Janet Jackson and Lionel Richie, just to name a few.

Pianist Omar Sosa's new release, Inside, is a set of extraordinary piano improvisations. Sosa's style is unique and eclectic in a funky way.

Eddie Santiago has come up with a twist of his own--in a redux of his hits with other tropical salseros. Santiago teams up with Charlie Cardona on Lluvia, on Qué Locura Fue Enamorarme De Ti with DLG's Huey Dunbar, and on Me Fallaste with Elvis Crespo. The pairings are all from Sony's stable of artists.