Call it what you will: afro-Cuban jazz, salsa, or Latin music. Either way, the music found on a newly-released compilation of music recorded by Cuban-born musicians living in New York in the '70s is a brilliant blend of big beats, dance grooves and salsa spice. There are some great party tracks here, not to mention that it's a perfect album to listen to when driving to the beach or sitting by the pool this summer.
"Son Cubano NYC: Cuban Roots New York Spices 1972-82" is born of the mixed ethnicities and correspondingly mixed music tastes of various Afro-Cuban musicians, particularly Puerto Ricans, that flourished in New York before Cuba established its own recording industry. Henry Fiol, who contributes two tracks to the album, is quoted in the liner notes, "New York salsa is a hybrid. When Cuban music moved to New York it added another flavor."
Following a tradition established by early Afro-Cuban jazz greats such as Chano Pozo, Machito, Duke Ellington, Stan Kenton, Count Basie and Dizzy Gillespie, the recordings on "Son Cubano" are a delicious fusion of the classic Cuban folk instincts that they left behind and the dance grooves that were popular in '70s America. The result is nothing short of fantastic.
The artists featured on this compilation - Rey Roig, Charlie Rodriguez, Chocolate, Henry Fiol, Lita Branda, Roberto Torres and Fernando Lavoy, to name a few, fit well together without losing their personal touches. Chocolate is one of the best-known of all Cuban trumpet-players, and his sizzling contributions to the tracks "Chocolate EnC7" and "Trumpet En Montuno" are guaranteed to transport you to a far away place, as will Henry Fiol's vocals on "Tiene Sabor" and "Oriente."
"Oriente," one of the slower, more meandering tracks on an album filled with fast beats and grooves, is dedicated to, according to the CD jacket, "the music, the beautiful women and the environment of eastern Cuba," where Fiol hails from. Peruvian Lita Branda is more classically Cuban, and will be a favorite for all those who are fans of her predecessor, Celia Cruz.
Roberto Torres can single-handedly be credited for keeping the true sounds of Afro-Cuban dance music alive in the States. Torres, who now lives in Miami, helped found the Orquesta Broadway, and his style of singing and arranging remains tipico. His track "Camina Y Ven Pa' La Loma" is filled with solos and dance beats. Another great track is provided by Los Jimaguas - Cuban twins who play the conga and timbale. With a funky piano opening by Dr. Ken Leo Rosa, the song's got some fast-paced jazz that will get you groovin' and movin'.
You know something is good when it's met with a cultural blockade - and the distinctly Cuban personality of this music was not at first received with open arms. Remember, this was still the period of the Cold War when Eddie Palmieri, who released the song "Mozambique," was accused of making 'communist salsa' music. Needless to say, the music got little airplay at the time.
Luckily this isn't the '50s anymore, (or the '70s, for that matter) so we can now happily listen to these tracks without being a threat to our country. Although The Buena Vista Social Club provided a great introduction to Cuban music in 1997, there's a lot more out there to be heard.
