Pa' Otro La'o

Latin Beat Magazine, August, 1997 by Rudolph Mangual

CHICHI PERALTA

The tropical shores of the Dominican Republic is the birthplace of the debut CD Pa'Otro La'o of composer/percussionist Chichi Peralta and his band Son Familia. Chichi Peralta was a member of the Juan Luis Guerra band for eight years where he gained worldwide fame and recognition as a standout percussionist. Pa'Otro La'o is a treasure trove of Afro-Caribbean-Dominican music set forth in a new dimension like never before.

Afro-merengue rhythms and romantic modern bachatas mold together this revolutionary repertoire which is sure to impress most Afro-Caribbean music lovers as well as World music aficionados. The unique vocals of Jandy Feliz are another plus in this production --who by the way is also responsible for the majority of the CD's musical and lyrical compositions.

As a bonus, the world famous London Symphony Orchestra is featured on three of the tracks under the musical direction of conductor José Antonio Molina. The CD was recorded in parts in the Dominican Republic, Miami, Florida, and London, England. Chichi Peralta is credited for the musical direction, many of the arrangements, sequences, programming and the majority of the percussion instruments. The production is complete with very impressive packaging (in Spanish only) and artwork.