Latin Beat Music Update

Latin Beat Magazine, Oct, 2001 by Nelson Rodríguez

When I saw the cover of Cuidao Con El Perro by El Nene con Las Estrellas de Arieto (a homage to Faustino Oramas, alias "El Guayabero"), I expected the music of the Estrellas de Areito sound from over 20 years ago, except with younger musicians. What I got was one of the best records I've heard all year with El Nene (Pedro Lugo Martínez) singing Oramas' compositions with today's Cuban salsa swing. This one is a keeper, and El Nene's experience with Los Jóvenes Clásicos del Son and with Clave y Guaguancó is evident.

Kim De Los Santos has a new one, Llegó El Campeón (LT Music), with arrangements by Cuto Soto, Julito Alvarado, Ramón Sánchez, Tito Rivera and Nino Segarra.

Los Kimbos...Con Adalberto Santiago (Cotique) from 1976 was recorded by an incredible band that read as a who's who: Orestes Vilató, Sal Cuevas, Nelson González, Eddie Montalvo, Harry Viggiano and Reinaldo Jorge led this unit on such classics as Los Kimbos' La Verdad, Salamera El Lápiz and Boncó. Pure vintage.

In a surprise and pleasant twist, Pedro Guzmán y su Cuatro Rumbero's El Artesano (Cuatro Sound) is a fine salsa CD with vocals by Peter Javier Díaz. Chick Corea's La Fiesta is the only instrumental on the entire recording, featuring Eric Figueroa on a superb piano solo, along with Guzmán on cuatro. On his latest release, Cuatro Rumbero 2, Guzmán covers versions of Bobby Valentín's Soy Boricua, Chuck Mangione's Feels So Good, Ismael Rivera's El Nazareno, Gilberto Santa Rosa's Que Alguien Me Diga, Son By Four's A Puro Dolor, José Feliciano's Affirmation, and the hip Blues P.G. and Rumba Pa' Gozar.

Raulín en Venezuela (AE/BMG) contains several dynamite songs that will please his many fans.

Kool Katz, a Bay area band led by Artand Kelly Galvan, combines salsa with rock & roll and jazz in what they define as Latin razz. Check out the funky Your Love Just Moves Me, Kool Summer, Me Gustas Como Baila and Dazed and Confused. The guitar work by Art Galván gives the CD a Santana feel.

In recent years, Oskar Cartaya has become one of L.A.'s hottest musicians. He is currently on tour with Jennifer López.

After a string of Latin jazz releases, Humberto Ramírez is preparing an all-salsa album emphasizing "arrangements."

Steve Turré's TNT --Trombone and Tenor (Telarc) has an outstanding line-up headed by David Sánchez, Giovanni Hidalgo, Mulgrew Miller, Dewey Redman, Victor Lewis, James Carter and Peter Washington. Guess who Puente of Soul is dedicated to?

Songo's release Havana Soul (Mo-Bana for "Motown in Havana") is a fusing of Motown's classic soul with Cuban rhythms. This band is making an impact on the Latin soul scene with the tracks Revelations, Strange Clouds and Con Quién, highlighted by bandleader Carlos Palomares' guitar style and Héctor "El Spider" Quintana's vocals.

Two new young vocal quartets make their debut in the salsa world, where there seems to be one popping up every month. Club 3D's En Otra Dimensión (Asefra) is produced by veteran Luis Cabarcas "Luchito," featuring vocalists Karlo, Mongy, Dilury MC and Jhonky. While it is predominately "salsa sensual," the album contains decent tracks such as Te Extraño, Te Olvido, Te Amo, Lo Que Soné, Oh Cuanto Te Amo and El Preso (a huge club hit for Fruko y sus Tesos last year, with a hip hop flavor).