Omara Portuoundo: Magia Negra - Reseña

Latin Beat Magazine, May, 2002 by Luis Tamargo

Magia Negra (Blue Moon)

In her first solo recording (Magia Negra, 1958)--reissued by Blue Moon in Europe and distributed in the U.S. by Boulevard--Omara Portuondo's rich timbre and bittersweet delivery were set against the lush accompaniment provided by Julio Gutierrez's orchestral organization. * Although this piano-playing bandleader from Manzanillo was the first-call accompanist of the greatest Cuban female vocalists of the 1950s, he is one of the most underrated figures in Caribbean music history.

Straddling Cuban music (with ah emphasis on filin) and U.S. jazz, the repertoire included Spanish-language versions of Harold Arlen's That Old Black Magic and Duke Ellington/Juan Tizol's Caravan (translated as Magia Negra and Caravana, respectively), but consisted mostly of criollo standards, as exemplified by the outstanding interpretation of César Portillo de la Luz's Noche Cubana (one of the most nostalgic boleros of all times) and the tender, endearing version of Ogguere, Gilberto Valdés' ageless canción de cuna/afro.

Despite the fact that he was known, once in a while, to get carried away (as documented by the bizarre incorporation of such un-Cuban instruments as the organ and the accordion), Gutierrez was a truly innovative bandleader who offered the ideal orchestral framework for the Havanese diva's recording debut.

Unfortunately, this Catalonian reissue's two bonus tracks (extracted from Omara's 1961 collaboration with Bebo Valdés' Sabor de Cuba orchestra) are not as satisfying or enjoyable as the prior black magic enterprises. Keep in mind that the Cuban Billie Holiday's session with El Caballón was recorded after the false messiah nicknamed El Caballo had already come to power in Havana.

* No information is given (in the liner notes or elsewhere) to identify the participating musicians headed by Gutierrez, whose 1950s orchestras (particularly the Canal 4 television houseband) featured numerous jazz-oriented players (El Negro and Bol Vivar, Amadito Valdés Sr., Walfredo de los Reyes II, Rubén "Perro Chino" Morales, Emilio Peñalver, Leonardo Acosta, etc.).