Latin Beat Music Update - Artículo Breve - Columna

Latin Beat Magazine, March, 2001 by Nelson Rodríguez

This past holiday season was very sad in the music world with the losses of some very fine musicians, and one particularly sad case was that of merenguero Tony Swing, whom I had the pleasure to work with when he was a member of the New York Band. Tony Swing survived a fire but unfortunately lost his children in this tragic event. Swing had just released his first CD, Por Fin, which is a monster production with some outstanding tracks.

Cutting Records is enjoying success with the Grammy nominated Fulanito, and they have just released Rico Mambo's merengue CD entitled Millonario Mambo, with the number one club hit, La Pela.

Merengue with rap is alive and well in the young trio Inocentes MC (Claudio "Telo" Alvarado, Edward "Papote" Vera and Juan "Fresh" Ozoria) who, on their debut CD, feature guest appearances by the famous Wepaman, Fulanito, Sancocho and another Cutting Records vocalist, Tony Bravo.

Dominicada is also a hot young merengue act coming to us via Canada's MRP Music label and a fresh CD, Ahora Si, with the tracks Como Le Gusta a Las Mujeres, Llame a Los Bomberos, and an awesome English bachata version of Mariah Carey's hit My All.

Ismael Miranda Live, recorded in November, 2000 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a true legendary album by one of salsa's best. On this special 2-CD set, you can hear Ismael Miranda singing his classic hits on his own and with Larry Harlow. Listen to Señor Sereno, Las Esquinas Son, Así Se Compone Un Son, Cipriano Armenteros, María Luisa, Borinquen Tiene Montuno, No Me Digas Que Es Muy Tarde, and more. A very nice package.

Coming out in April will be the Mambo Jazz recording led by John Santos and Bobby Matos that is a pure delight, with a band comprised of members from their respective groups. Check out trombonist Michael Turre's Mambo Moña Mia including Orestes Vilató's outrageous bongó solo. A good club song is the interesting I Don't Speak Spanish (But I Understand Everything When I'm Dancing) with Denise Cook on the spoken word performance that reminds me of Felipe Luciano. On Cachao, the reading is done by film and TV actor Ismael "East" Carlo. Fine work. Radio deejays will be playing this record for a long time.

Despite the group's misspelled title" Manikkomio's CD, 2001, There Baaack... is surprisingly good. Clubs will love it. Oro Solido's Raul Acosta created Manikkomio, and he is also their composer.

The salsa-pop quartet New Street was produced by Luis "Luchito" Cabarcas, known in New York as a hot studio chorus vocalist. Check out New Street's version of Peter Cetera's You're the Inspiration.

It was wonderful to experience the recent NAMM Convention in Los Angeles and checking out all the instrument makers. Percussionists Giovanni Hidalgo, Armando Peraza, Papo Rodríguez, Johnny Blás, Jesús Díaz and Long John Oliva were there accompanied by their sponsors, in addition to Carlos Santana, along with his sidemen Raul Rekow and Karl Perazzo endorsing the LP Santana Accents Series.

When Limi-T 21 was affiliated to Merengazo, I kept asking them for a CD like Sabe a Limi-T their most recent EMI recording. This is a superb merengue production by a talented trio. It is well deserving of a Grammy nod.

Salsa Céltica, formed in 1996 by a group of Celtic and Latino musicians known in Scotland as "Celtinos," created a combination of Cuban son, cumbia, rumba and salsa styles with South American folk songs, Scottish reels, and Celtic tunes to delight all salsa fans. Thanks to Denver's Harry Jay for turning me on to the track Yo Me Voy/Maggie's Pancakes, and to Raul Rico Jr. for finding the CD on the Internet and sending me a copy. Produced in Scotland on the Greentrax label, Salsa Céltica's The Great Scottish Latin Adventure is their second CD. In 1997, Salsa Céltica honed their salsa skills with a visit to Cuba, and from there carne the inspired debut, Monstros y Demonios, Angels and Lovers (on the Eclectic label). Kudos to Venezuelan vocalist Carlos Peña, and to Fraser Fifield, who provides the bagpipes which make the recording unique.

Ernie Acevedo, the popular bandleader of Conjunto Imagen, informed us of the band's upcoming untitled release. It will include cover tunes of Pablo Monero's Qué Voy Hacer Sin Ti, Luis Fonsi's Qué Será Fácil, and the Backstreet Boys hit, Show Me the Meaning, plus two originals and a bachata, eleven songs in all.

Johnny González of Mambo City Records let us know that his label is working on a compilation of unreleased music that Bobby Marín recorded many years ago, performed by popular acts of the time such as Tito Puente and the Joe Cuba Sextet.

Universal has released a Juan Luis Guerra 2-CD set titled Colección Romántica, which contains his best sensual material plus newer romantic arrangements of some of his upbeat tracks, plus four new ones.

Grupo Galé's Con El Mismo Swing did not disappoint me, as the band proved that it's the hottest group in Colombia right now. Check out how tightly they perform Tributo Al Gran Combo, with guest Jerry Rivas. The hits are endless on this production and include Descarga Galé, Que Suene Mi Tambó, Que No Se Muera El Montuno, and Buscando Tus Besos. Definite Grammy material.