Reseñas de Latin Beat - Tt: Latin Beat Reviews - Reseña

Latin Beat Magazine, Sept, 2001 by Luis Tamargo, Jesse Varela, Elmer Gonzalez, Rudy Mangual

ATABAL

Con el Ritmo del Caribe

(Grabaciones Alma Caribe)

El grupo Atabal, creado en el 1983, editó este año su quinta producción discográfica. Cinco discos en 18 años podría parecer poco. Sin embargo, en el caso de esta agrupación, su trabajo es mejor medirlo en términos de calidad musical, que en términos de cantidad. Atabal aparece otra vez con un magnífico disco que merece ser escuchado y bailado. La plena boricua recibe atención especial a través de siete de los doce temas del CD. Además, se incluye una muestra del son, del bolero, de la bomba, del calypso y de la rumba. El repertorio, cuya lírica aborda diversos temas transcurre en una atmósfera festiva que se percibe en el timbre claro y brillante de armonías vocales y en los arreglos orquestales. La música de Atabal es siempre música alegre. Los amantes de los ritmos del Caribe disfrutarán los temas La cumbamba, Ikiri Adda y Upa upa. Los que saben apreciar las armonías vocales deben escuchar los instrumentos "cantados" en Me la llevo. Los boricuas encontrarán otra provocación para agudizar el sentimiento patrio con las plenas Ondea bandera y Plena soberana. Recomendado.

RENE PEÑA-GOVEA

Rene at 15

(Los Compas)

The family that plays together stays together. That is certainly true of the Peña-Govea clan in the San Francisco Mission District. In the last two years, they have become a cultural force in the Bay Area, performing traditional accordion-based Mexican and Tex Mex music. Performances at the Mexican Museum's 30th Anniversary Gala, Peña Del Sur, Encuentro Del Canto Popular, and most recently at the Conjunto Festival in San Antonio, Texas, have brought them word-of-mouth acclaim.

The spark propelling them is their talented 15-year old daughter René, ah accordion prodigy. On this recording, she shares vocal duties and plays great button-row accordion on classics songs such as Los Laureles, Pajarillo Barranqueño, Atotonilco and other dusty oldies. Joining her on guitarrón is her dad Miguel Govea, who leads the popular local band Los Compas, and her mom Susan Peña on bajo sexto guitar. Her aunt, Irene Pérez, sits in on trap drums and completes the family affair.

As soon as you hear René play, you realize there is something extraordinary as she rips out clearly executed conjunto riffs with the nuance of a Flaco Jiménez. So what if there are a few off-key vocal parts, or the polkas get an extra beat? What is important is the feeling the music creates and the spirit it captures of a family sitting around singing together! It is inspiring to hear this Lowell High School student play dusty 1920s Tejano scottishes with a respect for its authenticity and organic essence. ¡Si se puede!

TOMMY OLIVENCIA

40 Aniversario

(AJ Records)

La orquesta de Tommy Olivencia celebró cuatro décadas de existencia con un concierto el mes de agosto de 2000, en San Juan. Esa presentación quedo grabada en dos discos en los que aparecen los cantantes y los temas principales que han marcado la historia de la orquesta. A través de 22 temas, desfilan la voces de Gilberto Santa Rosa, Paquito Guzmán, Sammy González, Simón Pérez, Marvin Santiago, Vitín Ruiz, Melvin Martínez y Héctor Tricoche. El repertorio cubre distintas épocas, con énfasis en la década de 1970. Planté bandera, Fire, fire, Historia de un condenado, Evelio y la rumba, Atrevida, Lo dudo y Lobo domesticado son algunas de las selecciones que de seguro abrirán los recuerdos de los que disfrutaron la salsa buena de esos tiempos. Con un sonido aceptable y un repertorio de primera, este doble CD es una pieza obligada en la fonoteca de aquellos salseros con alma de coleccionistas. Para los demás, es simplemente otro disco sabroso de salsa real que invita a bailar en cada uno de los 112 minutos de música.

RAICES HABANERAS

Raices Habaneras

(Havana Corner)

Formed in "Esquina Habanera" (a popular night club in Union City) five years ago, the percussive ensemble Raices Habaneras explores both the folkloric and popular aspects of the Afro-Cuban drumming tradition, from the ceremonial rituals of Yoruba and Abacuá origin to the four styles of secular rumba --yambú, guaguancó, columbia and jiribilla. Produced by vocalist/guitarist David Oquendo, Raices Habaneras' self-titled debut has been correctly categorized by the liner notes writer, Armando López, as "a journey through the different styles of rumba in its purest state, without alterations or foreign elements".

WAYNE WALLACE

Echoes of Blue

(Spirit Nectar)

On Three in One, the ubiquitous Wayne Wallace (San Francisco Bay Area trombonist, arranger, educator and composer extraordinaire) made his 2000 debut as a leader, after years of working behind the scenes as a sideman/writer for the Pete Escovedo Orchestra, John Santos & Machete, Conjunto Céspedes, Jesús Diaz & QBA and countless others. What is evident is that he has honed a personality, a sound if you will, that has jazz depth and enriches the tradition with a diverse palate of hemispheric influences and beats. Echoes of Blue is an array of ideas searching for new and different possibilities. His fascination with Ellingtonia continues with a funky Cuban impression of Take The A Train, the Billy Strayhorn composition. Complimented nicely with seasoned solos by John Worley (trumpet), Ron Stallings (tenor sax), Paul Van Wageningen (trap drums), John Santos (timbales), Michael Spiro (congas) and Wallace, other interpretations include Silver's Serenade (a beautiful melody by Horace Silver), Herbie Hancock's Maiden Voyage and The Bird by Charlie Parker. The rest of the ten-selections are Wallace originals. Afro-Cuban rhythms -sacred and popular- intertwine with a variety of layers, as in the reworking of his Gingerbread Girl, a mozambique-soca-funk tune first recorded by Pete Escovedo in the mid-1980s. It's a slamming example, as many of these pieces are, of horn ensemble virtuosity with interludes that push the high energy dance grooves. Yet, a spiritual flame burns in Wayne's soul as evidenced in the gospel-jazz piece Testimony and the spokenword Santa Africana (for Yemayá) with renowned Bay Area jazz-blues singer Brenda Boykin. With every passing musical chapter, Wallace continues to unfold fascinating new musical points of view full of themes that stand out with clear melodic thinking and riveting rhythmic counterpoint. Echoes of Blue is a stunning work of art with a high level of production and packaging. Kudos to Spirit Nectar, the label run by San Francisco producer Ray Lucas, for continuing to keep the flame lit for artists like Wallace to explore their musical potential.