LATIN MUSIC YOU'D SHARE

[Soandso]

2023 modern take on Tango titled ADIÓS ÁSTOR by a group led by bandeón player Adrián Ruggiero.

 

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Pianist Danilo Perez (b. 1965; pictured above) was born in Panama and in 2000 released RIO TO PANAMA. It's a charming example of jazz "scat" singing by the award winning Brazilian Luciana Souza and/or Claudia Acuña from Chile; among the musical ensemble there's extensive percussion displays by Luisito Quintero.

 

[Ralph_Cramden]

Caro Luna​

“ECOS” IS OUT TODAY!

In “ECOS” I return to the songs that first inspired me. Songs that have traveled with me since childhood— across places, across time — shaping me, and the way I hear and create my own melodies.

Recorded simply in the moment they were played.

Grateful to the beautiful guitarists who are such a big part of this

and to @prismamusicgroup for releasing the album, @jerkereklund for the amazing mixing.

Thank you for listening

Guitars on ECOS by:
@julianvigil_music - ‘Sabor a mi’, ‘Mi Viejo’ and ‘Cucurrucucú Paloma’
@ollerolllinder - ‘Cielito lindo’ and ‘Cucurrucucú Paloma’
@homeroalvarez35 - ‘Historia de un Amor’ and ‘Piensa en mi’
@landinezmusic - ‘La Llorona’
@robiflamenco - ‘Que bonito amor’ and ‘Canción del Mariachi’
@johanborgh - guitar and lap steel on ‘Como fue’

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Diving into this album that was released today. Beautiful so far...

 

[Soandso]

A NIGHT IN TUNISIA is a famous (1944) jazz song written by "Dizzy" Gillespie and Frank Paparelli. Here's a lively take with perfect Latin musicians' styling.

 

[Soandso]

Another lively "bomba" [described in previous (Venezuelan bomba) post #197] comes from a group of Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico musicians called Alma Moyo who made the record BOMBA DE LA MADAMA in 2022. The lyics "lolo" and "loloé" are old African derived words used like the old English words "hark" and "hear ye". In the diaspora African slave settlements Christian saints' names came to replace ancestral deity names. Particular settlements co-existed with their local European colonists' particular annual tradition of there being a special time for honoring a particular patron saint ("patronales" are still held). The "bomba" would have originally been percussionists (drummers and struck sticks) moving along slave settlement paths and calling out ("lolo/loloé") as they approached one dwelling after another. Men and women would come out and the musicians would encircle them while the person danced their appreciation for anything they believed due to a deity/saint. The assemblage would proceed with more and more of those who after they had danced joined the procession as it visited every dwelling. [Often over the course of a "patronal" there would be more than one type of musical event, such as initially a somber more liturgical celebration with a more festive dancing event afterwards.]

 

[Soandso]

Rie Akagi from Japan is an accomplished Latin musical performer and her rendition of the 1969 "hippie" classic WHITE BIRD is easily enjoyable.

 

[Ralph_Cramden]

Beautiful actress and singer Sarita Montiel

 

[Ilraptoria]

 

[Soandso]

"Woody" Herman was an exceptionally successful band leader who is most commonly recognized as a clarinetist. Here his orchestra on NEW CHA CHA (1958) has him playing the saxophone leads while bringing in the famous "Tito" Puente at the timbales. Among the ensemble musicians playing along on multiple instruments probably the one name of another Latino most recognized today was percussionist Ray Barretto. [Note: 2 things - first, the screen shot album cover below mentions Charlie Parker but he did not play on this song and second, the album cover does picture Woody Herman who was Caucasian and not brown skinned like his inaccurate image hue shows.]

 

[Soandso]

Tania Maria (b.1948; pictured above) first recorded at age 21 having led a small professional band in her native Brazil when only 13 years old. Here is a (1985) live recording with her at the piano "scat" singing her hit (1980) YATRA-TÁ, which being concocted Brazilian slang is akin to the same era's American jargon "It's A Trip"; fellow musicians are Wilfredo Reyes (drums), Frank Colon (percussion), John Purcell (saxophone), Dan Carillo (guitar) and John Peña (bass).

 

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"Compay Segundo" Máximo Francisco Repilado Muñoz Telles (1907-2003; pictured above) was a singer playing clarinet, bongó, the "tres" Cuban guitar (3 pairs of double strings = total 6 strings) and his 7 string invention guitar the "armónico" which affords 1 more octave than a 6 string. Still in short pants he formed a child band called "Los Seis Ases" and wrote his 1st song "Yo Vengo Aqui" when 15 years old. His nickname dates back to the 1949-1955 revival group of "monte adentro" (back-country/foothills) old Cuban music calling themselves "Los Compadres" (literally "the partners"; in USA English the meaning is more friendly like "the pals"). He was the group's accompanying singer ("segundo voz" = second voice) while the slang "compay" is short for "compadre" thus making him the "second partner" (Compay Segundo). For context a more contemporary English meaning of how it arose at that time would be akin to the group joshingly referring to him as "the other guy" on stage. These days he's well known for having been a musician in The Buena Vista Social Club. Here's a lovely old style song he recorded titled VIEJOS SONES DE SANTIAGO [Dúo Evocación is a musical group which has had various members and I'm uncertain who recorded on this].

 

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Hermanos Gutierrez

And here is one of their live performances on NPR's Tiny Desk:

 

[Soandso]

Steven "Steve" Joseph Turre (b. 1948) is an accomplished trombonist who after a 1982 Mexico City concert was taken by his Mexican mother's relatives to a museum where ancestral shell playing was displayed. He was inspired to adapt a variety of conch shells for his embouchure and has recorded with it several times, such as this gentle song MONTUNO CARACOL.

 

[Soandso]

Néstor Torres (b.1957; pictured above) is a Latin Grammy Award winning flutist who made a live studio recording (2018) of MIAMI BEACH RHUMBA which he states is one song among his "favorites" that he'd "… played for many years and finally was able to record it." Playing drums is Michel Piolet, saxophonist Ian Muñoz, bassist Jamie Ousley and the exciting pianist is Grammy nominated Silvano Monasterios (pictured immediately below) who was performing professionally by age 18 in his native Venezuela (1990 moved to USA). Also on the session is the respected Venezuelan born percussionist José Gregorio Hernández (pictured 2nd below; 1898 moved to the USA) plus sitting in was the child prodigy percussionist Miguel Marcel Russell (pictured 3rd below) who was 16 years old at the time of this recording - he's hitting hot around 7:30 minutes into the tune until 8:39 when his bandmates cheer his wound down solo.

 

[Soandso]

José Antonio Fajardo Ramos (1919-2001) was a great wooded flute player from Cuba.