Latin Jazz Music

One of the finest latin-jazz records I've ever heard, with plenty of Latin and plenty of Jazz! This harks back to the Dizzy Gillespie-Chano Pozo collaborations. Fine blowing straight out of a Blue Note session along with a tight and grooving rhythm section, although the pianist and bassist go unnamed in the liner notes. On top of the great playing is the perfect choices Aquabella makes in selecting the rhythms that go with the tunes; he's a real leader in both his playing and his arranging. True state of the art of where the music is at.

I happened to catch a radio interview with Alex Cuba on public radio (WGBH Boston, it was), and I loved what I heard. All his talents blend so beautifully to make the finished work as a whole. I was particularly impressed with the clarity and crispness of all his articulation, not just vocal but also with chords and chord changes.

I love his songs! And it's so nice that the CD insert includes the lyrics not only in Spanish but with the English translation. I may finally learn to understand and speak a little bit of Spanish, while enjoying listening.

The music from AexCuba is amazing full of life, wonderful sounds and it is just very warming.

I caught a glimpse of Alex Cuba on TV the other day on a local Chicago channel reviewing some of his music. I immediately loved his sound. I downloaded the CD immediately, and it met my highest expectations. This is a beautiful album. He has an amazing voice and the guitar is lovely. I'll be counting the days until I can see him perform live. If you're on the fence about this one, download it, you won't be disappointed. It is in Spanish, but you really don't need to speak spanish to completely enjoy it.

This is my favorite album I've bought this year. I happened to hear Alex Cuba being interviewed on the radio and playing a live set. He has a wonderful, warm, rich voice. The album is mostly pretty mellow with fairly simple arrangements but is also lively without being raucous. I love it.

With his intoxicating voice and romantic rhythms, it is amazing to me that AlexCuba isn't a household name. I stumbled on his MySpace page and I have been hooked ever since.

I was a little concerned when I ordered Agua del Pozo, because I don't speak Spanish. My CD arrived today and to my delight he provided the English translations to each song.

My favorite cut is Amor Infinito. It gives me the same goosebumps that I felt many years ago when I heard Milton Naciemento's La Travessia (Bridges). Alex is Cuban and Milton is Brazilian, but they both share the same superb musicianship and the rare ability to evoke deep emotion that transcends language.

Do yourself a favor. Pick up a copy.

Agua Del Pozo.

First published in 1987 as a DOUBLE cd (please avoid the single-cd reprint, which omits half of the original record), 'Aguaplano' is arguably Paolo Conte's best studio work. Though stuffed with great songs (try for example the wonderful 'Appunti di viaggio'), many of Conte's previous albums could suffer from lack of production and unsatisfying arrangements: that's why most of his earlier material is generally best heard on his later live albums, such as the indispensables 'Concerti' and 'Max Live in Canada'. These are also, incidentally, the best way for newcomers to get acquaintance with Conte's work, the available best-ofs being more patchy and less convincing. Released at a time when Conte's qualities as a performer/arranger were getting stronger, and his qualities as a songwriter hadn't begun to fade yet, 'Aguaplano' is pure rapture from start to finish. Highly recommended.

"Filmworks VIII" is the soundtrack for two films-- "Port of Last Resort", a documentary about Jews fleeing Nazi Germany for Shanghai and "Latin Boys Go To Hell", which I confess I have no idea what it is.

For "Port of Last Resort", Zorn hit on the brilliant idea of exploring his Masada songbook with the inclusion of the pipa-- a traditional Asian stringed instrument ably performed by Min Xiao-Fen set against the chamber ensemble setting he'd worked with previously-- in opposition to the pipa is the Masada String Trio (Mark Feldman- violin, Erik Friedlander- cello, and Greg Cohen- bass), guitarist Marc Ribot, and pianist Anthony Coleman in various formations. The music itself borders on absolutely breathtaking at times, although I found the pieces performed exclusively by the trio were a bit lacking in something ("Emunim"), the lovely "Shanghai" (with the Masada String Trio offsetting the pipa) and the pained guitar version of "Ruan" (where its really Feldman who shines) are certainly intriguing.

Zorn sounds a bit bitter in his liner notes concerning "Latin Boys Go To Hell"-- evidentally, the music was largely rejected in favor of rock and disco pieces, which prompted Zorn to ask for his name in the credits to be altered. The music itself ranges from delicate vibes ("Locura") to driving kit drum workouts ("Sangre") and tribal beats ("Mentiras"). All in all, its a fairly interesting and engaging listen.

Together, "Filmworks VIII" is a decent piece-- Zorn has much better soundtrack work, but this is a respectable entry into his catalog.

Marc Ribot's playing on this album is some of his best playing layed down on the Compact Disc medium. Highly recommended... The 2nd half of the CD featuring Wollesen is great too! Mostly percussion yet interesting and articulate. This is a great album that gets better with each listen!

THE PORT OF LAST RESORT material on this disc is really quite moving; in addition to players from the Masada String Quartet / Bar Kochba project, a Chinese musician playing the traditional pipa is added. The film, I gather, was about Jewish refugees in Shanghai, and the music blends together Jewish and Asian traditions. It's among the most listenable and beautiful material Zorn has released; while I enjoy his quirky and perverse aspects as much as the next Zorn fan, it's nice to have music by him around that is this mature and reflective. The percussive stuff is less interesting, though there are a couple of nice cuts. One of my favorite filmworks discs (along with 1 and 5). Worthwhile.

THE PORT OF LAST RESORT material on this disc is really quite moving; in addition to players from the Masada String Quartet / Bar Kochba project, a Chinese musician playing the traditional pipa is added. The film, I gather, was about Jewish refugees in Shanghai, and the music blends together Jewish and Asian traditions. It's among the most listenable and beautiful material Zorn has released; while I enjoy his quirky and perverse aspects as much as the next Zorn fan, it's nice to have music by him around that is this mature and reflective. The percussive stuff is less interesting, though there are a couple of nice cuts. One of my favorite filmworks discs (along with 1 and 5). Worthwhile.

On the Filmworks discs, you can never be sure what you'll find: surf guitar, covers of Ennio Morricone, freejazz, waltzes of death, punk rock, pipe organ stuff... This one is no surprise. There are two halves to this cd. The first accompanies a Jewish documentary and is based on the feel of Masada/Bar Kokhba, with such players as Erik Friedlander on cello, Anthony Coleman on piano and Marc Ribot on guitar. The second half is the soundtrack to Latin Boys Go To Hell, about discovering sexuality. It is all percussion, with Kenny Wollesen and Cyro Baptista. This made more sense after seeing the film, and is evidently a great soundtrack. Check it out!

This album is great for those who are looking for depth and intelligence when listening to salsa, both lyrically and musically! Herman Olivera (singer) is amazing!!! A true Sonero! I HIGHLY recommend this album.

This is another production with the ever ubiquitous Andy Garcia, this time with Andy appearing all over the accompanying DVD as well. It even contains a descarga track written by Andy, which, without surprise, is the worst track on the CD. I dislike Andy Garcia's musicianship so much I never even listened to the conga track on Cachao's Master's Session Volume I CD because it has a spoken intro by Andy "emotionally declaiming" poetry in tribute to his father. (But Andy's rain stick solo on Master Sessions Volume I is like the standout of the CD though.) Okay, okay, somebody stop me, enough with the Andy Garcia bashing. Two things I can say I like about Andy Garcia are that there would be no Cachao renaissance and no Master Sessions Volume I and II without Andy Garcia making it happen, and, his movie set in Cuba was absolutely wonderful.
The problem with this CD is that it is sloppy, lacks the great musicianship on display in Master Sessions Volume I and II, and suffers from poor song selection. There are a few pretty good tracks, but a lot of it consists of the mambos, son monuntos, and rumba/congas that we have already heard everyone else do, and heard Cachao himself do way better. I would save your money on this one, Master Sessions Volumes I and II are way better, as is Cachao's original late 50's descarga sessions.

I would agree with the reviewer Marcos, Andy Garcia seems to be producing tributes to himself with these cd's and especially with the bonus DVD in Ahora Si. Having said that, it's a good thing that Cachao had the chance to make these recordings. Ahora Si may be very similar to the Master Sessions and Cuba Linda, but the music is still hot. He will be missed.

There is no dropoff in quality here. I have yet to hear any of Cachao's performances that are of the two or three star variety. That, frankly, is insane.

Song titles include:

Mambo Cambio De Swing-Intro
Mambo Cambio De Swing
Queja Africana Protesta Abakua
Si Me Pudieras Querer
Una Descarga A Cachao
Aurora
Ahora Si!
No Tienes Por Que Llorar
Guajira Clasica
El Tiburon

Musicians include:

Israel Lopez "Cachao" Musical director and bajo
Alfredo Valdes Jr. Piano
Orestes Vilato Timbales
Luis Conte Congas
Andy Garcia Bongos, cowbell
Richie R. Marquez Guiro
Nelson Garcia-Marquez Clave
Nelson Gonzalez Tres guitar
Federico Britos Violin
Danilo Lozano Flauta
Jimmy Bosch Trombon
Feliciano Gomez "Pachu" Trompeta
Rafael "Tata" Palau Saxo tenor
Justo Almario Saxo tenor
Giovanna Moraga Cello
Lazaro Gallaraga Voz principal
Cecilia Noel, Iris Sandra Cepeda, Andy Garcia, Lazaro Gallaraga, Nelson Garcia-Marquez, Richie R. Marquez, Nelson Gonzalez, Jimmy Bosch, Luis Conte, Orestes Vilato, Feliciano Gomez "Pachu", Alfredo Valdes Jr. Coros

I have been listening to Cachao for years and I have all his music. I think this is his best album to date. Yes, I love Master Sessions I and II, but this album gets the most playing time at my house, my car, and my office. Cachao's rendition of "Si me pudieras querer" is just plain beautiful, and "Una Descarga a Cachao" gets my wife and me dancing every time. This is a great album of Cuban music, so enjoy it!

Este disco de musica tradicional Cubana trae mucho sabor. Los musicos son de gran calidad y los areglos muy buenos. Mi otro disco de Cachao es Master Sessions 1 y ese definitivamente es mejor. Si tienes ese disco quizas encuentres, como yo, que este no tiene la misma pasion.
Andy Garcia esta demasiado metido en este disco para mis gustos, la composicion de Andy, "Descarga a Cachao" no fue tan interesante como las otras canciones, pero al menos es salvada por los musicos talentosos. Lo unico interesante del DVD es ver a Cachao tocando el bajo, mucho de lo demas es un poco aburrido.
"Protesta abakua" es mi tema favorito, ya que tiene un sonido muy diferente de la musica latina contemporanea que es bien relajante con una buena parte para la flauta. Pero honestamente todos los temas tienen algo bueno.