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Spanish language music: Latin Jazz
ABOUT LATIN JAZZ
Latin jazz is a hybrid form of music that originated in the 1940s and
that combines African and Latin American rhythms with jazz harmonies
made popular in the US. It is essentially a blend of bop-style jazz
with Latin percussion. Two main categories are Brazilian and Afro-Cuban,
and subgenres include salsa, merengue, songo, son, mambo, bolero, charanga,
chachachá, bossa nova, and samba.
LATIN JAZZ ARTISTS, CDs & AUDIO CLIPS
Gato
Barbieri (Argentina):
CD Gato Barbieri's
Finest Hour [2000] LISTEN
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CD REVIEW: Gato Barbieri possesses one of the most potent
tenor saxophone sounds ever heard, a personal mix of throaty gravel
and sweet, singing overtones that can grind its way through thickets
of pulsing rhythm or soar overhead. The tracks here come from 1973 to
1979 and cover both Barbieri's years with Impulse, when he was emphasizing
Latin polyrhythms and heated improvisation, and the increasing pop emphasis
of his years with A&M. "To Be Continued" and "Marissea"
are the earliest performances, recorded with the saxophonist ecstatically
honking his way through a forest of indigenous percussion. The 10-minute
version of "Bahia" from New York's Bottom Line is another
highlight, with Barbieri ricocheting and exploding off a six-man rhythm
section, while the lilting "Nunca Mas" is further lightened
by Dino Saluzzi's bandoneon. Barbieri's balladry is displayed with big
bands on the opening "Cuando" and "Speak Low," and
he forms a forceful partnership with Carlos Santana on "Latin Lady."
-- Review by Adam Rains
CD Gato Barbieri - Greatest Hits
[1998] LISTEN
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CD | CD Qué pasa [1998]
LISTEN
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CD | CD Che Corazón
[1999] LISTEN
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CD
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Ray
Barretto (Brooklyn, USA)
CD Hot Hands
[2003] LISTEN
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CD | CD Trancedance [2001]
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CD | CD Carnaval [1973]
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CD
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Mario
Bauza (Cuba / New York, USA)
CD A Tribute
to Mario Bauza [2001] LISTEN
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CD
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Buena
Vista Social Club (Cuba)
CD Buena Vista
Social Club [1997] LISTEN
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CD
Browse or buy Buena Vista Social Club CDs at
amazon
Lila
Downs (USA / Mexico)
CD Una sangre
[2004] LISTEN
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CD REVIEW: Theres no doubt that singer Lila Downs'
profile is on the rise after her appearance in the film Frida
and on the accompanying soundtrack, which led to a performance at the
2003 Academy Awards. The dividing lines between cultures and classes
are major themes throughout the Mexican-American singer's decade-long
career; but whereas 2001s Border is more angry about the
disparities, One Blood: Una Sangre is more inclusive, if only
for the hopeful note of unity sounded in the English-language version
of the title cut (the album has two distinctly different readings of
the song sung, respectively, in English and Spanish). While much of
the cumbia-based, genre-breaking material here is original, Downs and
her band completely revamp two covers: Ritchie Valens classic "La
Bamba" features techno beats and African drumming; the folk song
"La Cucaracha" opens with wailing guitar before settling into
a gentle reggae groove. Stylistically restless and lyrically didactic,
One Blood: Una Sangre is as ambitious as it is beautiful. --
Review by Tad Hendrickson
CD La Cantina [2006]
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CD | CD Tree of Life
[2000] LISTEN
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CD | CD La sandunga [2003]
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CD | CD Border [2001]
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CD
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Dizzy
Gillespie (USA)
CD Dizzy Gillespie
- Greatest Hits [1996] LISTEN
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CD | CD The Complete RCA
Victor Recordings: 1937-1949 [1995] LISTEN
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CD
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amazon
Rubén
González (Cuba)
CD Indestructible
[1998] LISTEN
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CD | CD Chanchullo [2000]
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CD | CD Indroducing ... Rubén
González [1997] LISTEN
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CD
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at amazon
Irakere
(Cuba)
CD Yemayá
[1995] LISTEN
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CD REVIEW: The billing (Irakere "featuring Chucho Valdés")
illustrates what a draw the leader-pianist Valdés has become
in his own right, and Yemayá does indeed showcase his
prodigious talents as a keyboardist, albeit on an electro-acoustic instrument
and with a set designed as much for the American jazz audience as for
his Cuban roots. The opening title cut with Valdés's sister Mayra
Caridad on vocals is a killer Latin-soul-jazz workout, while track 2,
with blistering solo work from Valdés over a crisp, percussion-led
rhythm, sets the tone for the remaining seven extended cuts. This is
not so much Cuban music as jazz with a Latin base--complex, disciplined,
but swinging hard. The pace is often frenetic, with soloists diving
straight in at the deep end, but with sophisticated arrangements there
is always plenty of light, shade, and drama. Yemayá represents
a new phase for Irakere and is Latin Jazz of the highest caliber, full
of virtuosity and passion. -- Review by Derek Rath
CD The Best of Irakere [1994]
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CD | CD Afrocubanismo Live!
[1996] LISTEN
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CD
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Eddie
Palmieri (New York, USA)
CD Listen Here!
[2005] LISTEN
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CD | CD Ritmo caliente
[2003] LISTEN
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CD | CD El sonido nuevo:
The New Soul Sound [1966] LISTEN
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CD
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amazon
Tito
Puente (Harlem, USA / Puerto Rico)
CD The Best of
Dance Mania [1994] LISTEN
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CD REVIEW: This is the most outstanding remaster of 1958's
Dance Mania, boasting Tito Puente at the peak of his popularity
and the height of New York mambomania in the late 1950s. The sound quality
of the collection is incredible, capturing with vivid clarity the sentient
brass, lush layers of percussion, and big-band interplay on some of
the most superb interpretations of Cuban son montuno, bolero, guaguancó,
cha cha, and mambo. The Best of Dance Mania saunters and struts
with a sensual Cuban passion that makes one want to grab a partner and
mambo in pumps and beehive across the living room floor. But these are
only a few of the reasons to adore this CD. Some of the greatest Cuban
musicians were in Tito's big band at this time: vocalist Santitos Colon
and his classic, silken voice; Ray Barretto and Francisco Aguabella
and their surefooted congas; and a youthful Doc Severinsen--not to mention
the astounding timbale and vibe work from Tito himself. Overall, the
quality of musicianship is stellar. While Buena Vista Social Club
and its subsequent--albeit well-deserved--spinoff albums continue to
charm American ears, The Best of Dance Mania quietly sits under
our noses, waiting for discovery by those interested not only in the
era of Cuba's Tropicana nightclub, but in the raging scene that happened
in America as well. --Review by Karen Karleski
CD The Essential
Tito Puente [2005] LISTEN
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CD | CD King of Kings: The
Best of Tito Puente [2002] LISTEN
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CD | CD Oye como va: The
Dance Collection [1997] LISTEN
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CD
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Poncho
Sanchez (Texas, USA)
CD Raise Your
Hand [2007] LISTEN
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CD | CD Do it! [2005]
LISTEN
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CD | CD The Ultimate Latin
Dance Party [2002] LISTEN
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CD | CD Afro-Cuban Fantasy
[1998] LISTEN
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CD | Live CD Latin Soul [1995]
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CD
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Arturo
Sandoval (Cuba)
CD The Best of
Arturo Sandoval [1997] LISTEN
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CD REVIEW: This album offers a selection of Sandoval's better
known jazz fanfares, full of the kind of roundhouse melodies and cantering
tempos that allow his prodigious chops room to maneuver. Sandoval is
also capable of gentle caresses and inventive turns of phrase, which
he works in between foghorn blasts on tracks like his own "Luna
de miel en Guama," and Abelardo Valdes's "Almendra."
The rest of the songs here range from such familiar American fare as
the show tune "Maria" and Dizzy Gillespie's "A Night
in Tunisia," to Sandoval's own "Red Moon" and "Blues
en dos partes," and a Latin reworking of "My Way," naturally
entitled "A mi manera." All eventually serve as the musical
equivalent of batting practice for the slugger/trumpeter, who sends
note after note flying into the bleachers. -- Review by Britt Robson
CD Arturo Sandoval & the
Latin Jazz Orchestra [2007] LISTEN
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CD | CD Rumba Palace
[2007] LISTEN
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CD | CD The Very Best of
Arturo Sandoval [2004] LISTEN
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CD | CD Trumpet Evolution
[2003] LISTEN
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CD | CD Hot House [1998]
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CD | CD Arturo Sandoval and
the Latin Train [1995] LISTEN
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CD | CD Danzon (Dance On)
[1994] LISTEN
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CD
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amazon
Lalo
Schifrin (Argentina)
Soundtrack
Dirty Harry [2004] LISTEN
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CD | CD Latin Jazz Suite
[1999] LISTEN
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CD
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Bebo
Valdés (Cuba / Sweden)
CD Recuerdos
de Habana: A Portrait at 80 [2000] LISTEN
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CD REVIEW: Even though he has lived in Sweden for four decades,
Bebo Valdés's playing is so poignantly Cuban that you can practically
smell the cigar tobacco. Some will remember Valdes as a standout on
the soundtrack for Calle 54 or from his Blue Note album El
Arte del Sabor from 2001. Here, on Recuerdos de Habana, a
double-disc set first released as an import in 1999, he plays with the
same fire as on the above two albums. The pianist often goes it alone
or is joined by his young son Rickard on timbales, while occasionally
they are joined by other percussionists or bass. Regardless of the setting,
Valdéss playing sparkles as he rolls from bolero to mambo
to guajira with the same ferocious yet romantic piano style that he
taught his son Chucho. Along with 28 songs, fans also get a fascinating
interview and music lesson in English with the pianist. As good a self-portrait
as one could hope for, Recuerdos is required listening for Cuban
jazz fans. --Tad Hendrickson
CD Bebo [2006] BUY
CD | CD Lágrimas negras
[2003] LISTEN
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CD | CD Descargas del Bebo
[2001] LISTEN
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CD
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Chucho
Valdés (Cuba)
CD New Conceptions
[2003] LISTEN
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CD | CD Briyumba palo congo
[1999] LISTEN
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CD | CD Solo: Live in New
York [2001] LISTEN
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CD
Browse or buy Chucho Valdés CDs
at amazon
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