nuevas de la música latina - Tt: Latin Beat Music Update - Artículo Breve

Latin Beat Magazine, May, 2001 by Nelson Rodriguez

Traveling to the East Coast as I recently did is always a pleasure because it gives me a chance to see good people and hear what's happening musically. As far as commercial radio is concerned, it sounded poor to me and while merengue gets played quite a bit, its sales are down. The college stations and National Public Radio are still the right alternative for the airwaves.

At the club level, singer Coven Scabbily and bandleader Wayne Gorbea are doing well throughout the Tri-State area.

Quinto Mayor's Salsa Con Golpe is Diego Gale's tribute to the '70s music of Pete "El Conde" Rodríguez, Héctor Casanova, Johnny Pacheco, Cuco Valoy, Los Hermanos Lebrón, Joe Quijano and Ismael Rivera. Check out their versions of La Prieta, La Pachanga, Catalina La O, La Temperatura, and El Nazareno.

While visiting the Salsa Museum in New York City I was pleased to see an old friend, guitarist/vocalist Pepe Castillo, who I worked with during the Tropical Budda label days. He has a new project on RODCA Records with his group Cuatromania, with special guest Yomo Toro. The CD is titled What a Party and is comprised mostly of folkloric music with some spicy salsa tracks.

Hansel y Raul are doing very well in the Miami area with their CD 100% Cubano. Check out La Charanga, 100% Cubano, and El Guararey de Pastora. Flutist Gustavo Cruz is highly featured in this production.

I loved listening to the Envidia label releases by Melodias del 40, Sonando a Melodia and Las Maravillas de Florida's Vieja, Pero Se Mantiene, both part of their new "Roots of the Cuban Dance" series.

In Puerto Rico, salsera Choco Orta is back with her third CD, La Reina del Sabor, with the radio hit Que Pague. My favorite track from this new production is La Nueva Reina del Sabor, which features Edgardo Morales on an impressive timbal solo.

Pedro Guzmán (leader of the group Jíbaro Jazz) has a wonderful CD titled Cuatro Rumbero II. The CD includes compositions from Omar Alfanno's pen, A Puro Dolor and Que Alguien Me Diga, as well as Chuck Mangione's Feels So Good, among many others. Joining Guzmán in the band are percussionist Anthony Carrillo and pianist Eric Figueroa.

Producer/arranger Sergio George was recently in Los Angeles working on a cameo appearance by Rubén Blades on the new Tito Nieves production for the WEA Latina label.

L.A.'s own radio KRCA La Romantica 96.7 FM now has salsa music programmed on weeknights from 7 p.m. till midnight. Check it out!

While I enjoyed the Rudy Calzado presentation of La Música Típica de Cuba, the bolero tracks missed the boat. My favorite track of the production is Descarga José with Rudy Calzado and Pio Leyva both on vocals.

Singer Van Lester has been busy producing new talents such as Billy D'Marco, Adriel, Clarival Santos, Junior Zuniga and the Nuyorican Salsa Boyz. Lester is also a member of the Tropical Millennium All-Stars with Tito Allen and Adalberto Santiago.

Canadian flutist/bandleader Jane Bunnett has a new CD out on the Connector label titled Alma de Santiago.

Prior to Arturo Sandoval's coming to America in 1990, he had visited the U.S. and recorded music in Los Angeles, California, with special guest star Poncho Sánchez and his traveling band, which included pianist Hilario Durán. Now you can get this recording available as L.A. Meetings, which should have been Sandoval's U.S. debut recording.

The merengue outfit Grupo Mania has made a successful transition from Sony Discos to Universal Latino with their CD Grupomania 2050. While the guys may seem stiff on the CD photo art, the music is far from it. Mania fans won't be disappointed.

One of today's upcoming new salsa singers is Jay Lozada, brother of rapper Vico-C. His self-titled debut CD has been doing very well thanks to the single Por Amarte Asi, which is virtually on every radio station from coast to coast.

Toño Rosario's Yo Soy Toño is proof that Toño is by far the hottest merengue male artist in the industry. The CD provides a good variety of rhythms including Toño's unique merengue style.

La Makina's CD Internacional is by far their finest merengue release with the hit Pequeña. Producer and musical director Orlando Santana handles 90% of the arrangements and the keyboard duties.

Hatuey is a salsa band from Stockholm, Sweden that was introduced to me in the mid-nineties by Latin Beat's late, great writer, Vernon Boggs. The '90s were a time when many bands were emerging in Europe with a Latin flair such as the groups Hot Salsa, Salsamania, Irazu, Nueva Manteca and many others. Hatuey is back in the studio working on a new production. Their latest CD, El Baile de la Paz, was recorded in 1998 on the Gazell Records label.

I was pleased to meet Jim Payne, the author of Tito Puente: Drumming with The Mambo King. The book is an excellent look into Latin drumming and Tito's solo techniques. Hearing Tito on the CD, which is included with the book, is worth the price of the package.

Also look for the following releases and re-issues: David Calzado y su Charanga Habanera En Concierto (Live) on Rositas Records; the new Gilberto Santa Rosa's Intenso on Sony Discos; the classic Noro Morales' En Su Ambiente on Disco Hit; Los Nemus Del Pacifico's Montuniando Con Los Nemus on Discos Fuentes; Salsa Novel from Colombia; Mongo Santamaría's 1971 release Mongo at Montreux, and Héctor Lavoe's Tu Bien Lo Sabes, which is a compilation featuring the 1981 title track which was never previously released.