Latin Beat Reviews - Reseña

Latin Beat Magazine, Feb, 2002 by Luis Tamargo, Jesse Varela, Gilbert Rivera, Rudy Mangual

JOHNNY POLANCO Y SU CONJUNTO AMISTAD

Pa'l Bailador

(Morrowland Records)

This sophomore release from Johnny Polanco y su Conjunto Amistad, one of the City of Angels' ultimate tropical dance ensembles, delivers a well-rounded repertoire of Latin music compositions. Aptly titled Pa'l Bailador, the production includes 12 tracks of dancer-friendly compositions in the rhythms of guaguancó, son montuno, chachachá, merengue, rumba, cumbia and bolero. With the aid of guest vocalists Ray de la Paz and Hermán Olivera from New York City, plus Freddie Crespo and Fabio Miranda from Southern California, Conjunto Amistad swings non-stop throughout this recording with a bi-coastal Latin flavor and hard-edge salsa supremacy. Led by multi-instrumentalist Johnny Polanco (a New Yorker of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent), the selections enjoy a balance of hard-core urban musical tendencies with an equal serving of West Coast nouveau Latin inspired arrangements. Noteworthy selections include the opener Guaguancó Con Rumba, arranged by Oscar Hernandez and vocalized by Herman Olivera in the traditional "La Perfecta" style (with excellent soneos by Ray de la Paz and Xiomara), Sal De Mis Sueños, in the voice of Fabio Miranda, and the Ray Barretto classic Vine Pa' Echar Candela, brilliantly arranged by Polanco. To summarize, Polanco and friends have a great time and enjoy making music for the bailadores. (RM)

HAILA MOMPIE

Haila

(BIS)

When I saw Haila Mompié do Bemba Colorá (Kímbara Kímbara) in Havana in 1997, she was magnetic on stage. When she left Bamboleo, I thought she would disappear into obscurity. Rumblings about activities on the island with Azúcar Negra quickly drew me to their mp3.com postings (Café Con Leche is a fave!). Now on her debut album as a solo artist, Ms. Mompié (who looks like a reincarnated Josephine Baker on the cover art) creates ah extraordinary tribute to Celia Cruz on the CD Haila. Produced by Issac Delgado, the twelve songs feature an impressive list of colleagues: Mayito Rivera (Los Van Van), Paulito F.G. and the tegendary Lázaro Ros join her on duets. Solos and orchestrations by José Luis Cortés (El Tosco), Barbarito Torres, Juan Manuel Ceruto and José Luis Quintana (Changuito), demonstrate the quality that this recording musically exudes. Haila rises to the occasion with superb rendition of classics popularized by la Guarachera del Mundo. From the opener Bemba Colorá, to the closer Nadie Se Salva de La Rumba, the songs sequence with almost chronological homage to the Queen of Salsa. Mompié is a sonera, and you hear the influence of her mentor, Jaqueline Castellanos, who instilled in her the importance of improvising verses well on the spot and staying true to the roots for this interpretative salute. Vocally, she has polished her contra-alto voice to pitch perfect, world-class standards. As a result, Mompié proves she is here to stay with one of the best salsa cubana dance records of 2001. (JV)

NELSON GONZALEZ

Pa' Los Treseros

(Agogo/Qbadisc)

As the most renowned non-Cuban tresero of our times, Nelson González does not need an extensive introduction. Although he was born on the Puerto Rican wing of the mythical Antillean bird, Cachao's first-call tres player is on unquestionable master of the oriental (meaning from Oriente Province) 19th-century Cuban adaptation of the Spanish guitar. His amazing musicianship is exhibited throughout this recording, particularly in the unprecedented tres duality implemented by said artistic protagonist and the legendary Papi Oviedo on the danzón standard Tres Lindas Cubanas.

Inexplicably, there is a historical factor that has not been recognized, despite its vital importance, in the liner notes or anywhere else: Almost half of the repertoire consists of tunes previously recorded in Havana (from 1948 to 1950) by René Alvarez & Los Astros(*), one of the greatest but most underrated conjuntos of the pre-Castro epoch. Despite the admirable skills displayed by González and many of his distinguished companions, it is evident that the New York crew cannot surpass or even come close (particularly in the vocal department) to the qualitative level established half a century ago by the warm-hearted sonero René Alvarez Beseiro (1918-1997) and his groundbreaking heavenly bodies of the musical kind.

* Any doubtful Tomases must refer to the CD Yúmbale, the 1995 Tumbao reissue of René Alvarez and his conjunto Los Astros. (LT)

¡CUBANISMO!

The Very Best of ¡Cubanismo! ¡Mucho Gusto!

(Rykodisc Label)

After ¡Cubanismo! conquered mainstream America and Europe in 1996 with its self-titled debut, Cuban music hasn't been the same. Led by trumpeter Jesús Alemañy and a cast of Cuban luminaries, it rapidly earned the reputation as one of the top ensembles in the business. This latest release of the band features material from four of their previous productions: Jesús Alemañy's ¡Cubanismo! (1996), Malembe (1997), Reencarnación (1998), and Mardi Gras Mambo (2000) --plus two previously unreleased cover tracks-- the Bob Marley/Peter Tosh classic Get Up, Stand Up and Marley's Could You Be Loved, featuring reggae singer Luciano on vocals. As always, the music of ¡Cubanismo! is a tasty blend of dance tunes and traditional Cuban rhythms (such as rumba, chachachá, and son) with descarga arrangements and jazz influences. What makes ¡Cubanismo! different from other Latin jazz bands is that its repertoire is 100% danceable from beginning to end. To witness and enjoy their performances is to partake in a celebration of the legacy of Cuban music. Within the 12 tracks of this production ¡Cubanismo! blends successfully the old with the new, fusing sounds from around the world into a danceable musical form that is inimitably their own. (RM)