Latin Beat music update

Latin Beat Magazine, March, 2003 by Nelson Rodriguez

Off to the races we go with a wealth of new releases from all over the globe that should make 2003 a banner year. What we expect the rest of this year is collaboration, new material, reissues, more veterans coming out from retirement to record, new labels trying to get it done with lack of distribution, and labels with capital to help make a difference.

Tumi is coming out with a slew of new material, including Son 14, Elio Revé Jr. and the hot Jovenes Clasicos Del Son's Tambor En El Alma, with guests Changuito, Chucho Valdés, Tata Güines, Papi Oviedo, El Coto and a host of young vocalists.

Los Hermanos Rosario continue their string of wonderful merengue music with the new CD, Swing a Domicilio, making them one of the industry's hottest acts. The hot pick on this release is Sube y Baja.

Karen Records have released the new Joseph Fonseca CD, Escuchame, that includes a series of bachatas; lately the norm for most merengueros.

Bassist Gabriel Rodríguez has found a niche with his CD, The Beginning, now sporting a new cover for his U.S. release. The tracks La Guagua, La Visión and The Beginning have been getting good airplay throughout the island of Puerto Rico and now in the States.

John Calloway's Diaspora is a CD you need to find if you like flute and Latin jazz. This Bay Area veteran features the best of the best in a line-up that includes Orestes Vilató, Wayne Wallace, John Santos, Omar Sosa, Rebeca Mauleon-Santana, Michael Spiro, David Belove, Jesús Díaz and many more.

Richie Gajate-García surprised me with his release, Entre Amigos, that contains a wide range of different rhythms and some of the finest names in Los Angeles: Otmaro Ruiz, Justo Almario, René Camacho, Michito Sánchez, Robert Incelli, Joe Rotundi, Oskar Cartaya, Alex Acuña, Jimmy Haslip, Luis Conte, Ramón Stagnaro, Pedro Eustache, Carlitos Del Puerto and John Peña. García excels on conga, timbal, other percussion instruments, and as vocalist.

Orquesta Tabaco y Ron's remix CD Salsa De Verdá is a collection of remixes done by various DJs with some bonus tracks. The label Dimelo has also developed a strong line-up of Latin dance and reggaton CDs that includes Reggaton Plus, Ragga Force Presenta: Boombastik, Abba-DJ, Latin Night Mixup for DJs and Fernando `G' González's El Trance Mixup.

The Afro-Cuban All-Stars, led by Juan D'Marco González, released a new CD, Live In Japan, on his DM Ahora Music label. This material will be showcased on the band's scheduled U.S. tour.

Mark Weinstein is recording a new CD with Pedrito Martínez and three other percussionists playing rumba and "toques de santo" (no timbal, no drums, no charts). Other musicians include guitarist Jean Paul Bourelly and bassist Santi Debriano.

Saxophonist Pablo Calogero, who recorded on the new Bebo Valdés project and has been performing with his own band, has a jazz CD coming out this year.

Other veterans with new material this year include Ray Barretto (salsa), Nicky Marrero and "Chembo" Corniel, all on the Latin Cool label.

The label Envidia is expecting releases by Chappottín y Sus Estrellas, Los Bocucos, Israel Diaz, Ciso Guanche y sus Soneros, Pedro Calvo, Orquesta Siglo XX, Conexión Salsero, Guillermo Rubalcaba, Yamile, Suprema Ley, Amaranto and Max González's La Araña II.

Sergio Rivera's Grupo Caribe has a hot CD, Un Congo. Me Dio La Letra, with a variety of swinging dance rhythms highlighted by the fine vocals of Frankie Vázquez, Hermán Olivera and Frankie Figueroa.

Check out Olivera and Vázquez on Chano Pozo's Nague and Figueroa on Sobre Una Tumba Una Rumba. The CD also has some of the best arrangers, such as Oscar Hernández, José Madera and Louis Bauzo.

Ray Ramos' Sabroso y Saoco is a compilation with two new tracks--La Receta, a composition he wrote, made popular by Johnny Polanco, and Alimentame. The only thing missing here is Ramos' awesome English tracks. Maybe those are saved for another CD.

Percussionist Wendell Rivera is back with a new one, Among Friends, that has some wonderful tunes, including Buena Fortuna, Manbattan, Micaela, El Baile De La Pasión and Solar Wind.

Grupo Niche has returned to their unique brand of salsa after a brief musical departure, on Control Absoluto. The standouts here are Es Loca o Es Mala, Fotografía and Salao.

One of my favorite pianists from Venezuela was Oscar D'León orchestra's Enrique "Culebra" Iriarte, who also contributed wonderful arrangements for the bandleader. He went on to record three LPs for CBS that have yet to be released on CD and currently has a charanga release with Aragón vocalist Rafael "Felo" Bacallao. The Bra Bra Sound, Canta: Felo Bacallao CD doesn't give credit to the musicians but will go nicely with collectors of charanga music.

Venezuelan Andy Duran, who has been dedicating himself to Latin jazz over the past decade, has another winner with Latin Jazz & More, containing quite a few covers colored with his unique sound.

Alberto "Molote" Muñoz, trombonist for the Afro-Cuban All-Stars and many of the Buenavista Social Club releases, has released Mucho Molote: Afro Cuban Jazz Project with some of the best Cuban musicians of today.