Afroditee Sex in New York City

Latin Beat Magazine, May, 2003 by Rudy Mangual

(Gotta Be Music)

This debut CD by the all female 15-piece band Afroditee is the result of ah award granted to the folkloric group "Retumba" (of the Tri-State area of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania) by the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts and the Bronx Council on the Arts, for their first recording titled Retumba Live, which was recorded during a live performance held at the Arts Connection's Family Concert Series in New York City. The award was granted for the purpose of recording a new crossover band, so members of Retumba joined forces with new talent and created the ultimate band, Afroditee. The band's sound is a soothing blend of Afro-Caribbean rhythms underlined with R&B and hip-hop tendencies and further enhanced by jazz improvisations. The group features the vocal talents of Dassi Rosenkrantz-Cabo (who also plays the bass and is the group's musical director), Nina Irizarry and Debbie Vidot, plus Retumba's percussionists Yvette Martínez and Nancy Friedman. Highlights include the funky Latin soul cover and opening track Sex in New York City, Es La Reina (a tribute to Cuban singer Celia Cruz), and the sensual Latin jazz of Desertride. Guest musicians on this recording include rappers Al Picasso and Ginnis.