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Spanish language music: Rumba
ABOUT RUMBA
Rumba, also spelled rhumba, is a group of music rhythms and a dance
style from Africa that came to Cuba and the New World through slave
trade. Under the influence of pan-Latin sounds and New York swing bands,
the folk music rumba rapidly evolved to include conga drums and line
dances. Rumba is sometimes confused with salsa, which shares its origins
and basic movements.
RUMBA ARTISTS, CDs & AUDIO CLIPS
Dan
Den (Cuba)
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Don
Barreto (Cuba)
CD Don Barreto
1932-1946: Melody's Bar [1994] LISTEN
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CD
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Rubén
González (Cuba)
CD Chanchullo
[2000] LISTEN
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CD REVIEW: After starting off in an anxious mood with long,
somewhat aimless jams, Chanchullo settles nicely into the gorgeous
chemistry that made Introducing... Rubén González
so incredibly magnetic. On the opening track, the 81-year-old virtuoso
races at the piano like a horse charges from the gate, barely stopping
until arriving at "La Lluvia," the percussion-inspired third
song. From then on the ensemble elegantly glides along as González
and his amazingly nimble arthritic fingers lead the band in a set of
nostalgic danzóns, cha-chas, and other Cuban forms. The melodious
violin and flute of "Central Constancia" spawns visions of
the sweet little ballet class captured on the Buena Vista Social Club
documentary and for which González regularly plays. Fellow Cuban
star Ibrahim Ferrer sings on a couple of cuts, but unfortunately his
part is too short on "De una Manera Espantosa" and the accompaniment
too sloppy on "Choco's Guajira." Eliades Ochoa's unadorned
contribution to "Quizás, quizás" is a highlight,
as is the charming standard "El Bodeguero." A total of 21
musicians contribute to this album, but Chanchullo really only
needs one: a pianist with a voracious appetite for life and immense
talent. And it certainly has that. --Review by Karen K. Hugg
CD Indestructible [1998]
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CD | CD Introducing ... Rubén
González [1997] LISTEN
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CD
Browse or buy Rubén González
CDs at amazon
Bio
Ritmo (Virginia, USA)
CD Bio Ritmo
[2004] LISTEN
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CD REVIEW: Salsa and Latin music enthusiasts have often wondered
what caused the music's extraordinary renaissance in the late 1960s
and '70s to peter out. After a period of remarkable cross-fertilization
and experimentation, when old hands like Tito Puente and Mongo Santamaria
played with funk beats, Eddie Palmieri plugged in an electric Fender
Rhodes keyboard and bands like Santana and El Chicano injected rock
with Latin swing (and vice versa), the musical climate shifted towards
synthesizers, pop ballads and the sugary "salsa romantico"
that dominates Latin radio today in the form of everyone from Marc Anthony
to Ricky Martin. Bio Ritmo, a nine-piece self-described "classic"
salsa band from Virginia, makes clear on their mostly smoking self-titled
fourth release just what it is we've been missing all these years. Lead
singer and songwriter Rei Alvarez brings his Puerto Rican roots to bear
on material that more than anything echoes the thrilling sound of Palmieri's
groundbreaking 1960s and '70s bands La Perfecta and Harlem River Drive.
On "Atrevete" pianist Marlysse Simmons brings some serious
salsa chops to bear on her funky Fender Rhodes solo while the band drops
impressively into Brazilian samba, and "Fabula" shows off
some high-energy playing from timbalero Giustino Riccio while the group
goes from hard-driving salsa to an intense Afro-Cuban 6/8 groove. About
the only blemish on this otherwise immaculate canvas is bassist Jon
Sullivan's insistence on overusing envelope filter bass effects--whooshing
science fiction sounds that come across as gratuitous, since the group's
open-mindedness and willingness to experiment is obvious enough from
the music. --Review by Ezra Gale
Browse or buy Bio Ritmo CDs at amazon
Los
Munequitos de Matanzas (Cuba)
CD Live in New
York [1998] LISTEN
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CD | CD Oyelos de nuevo [1994]
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CD | CD Vacunao [1995]
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CD | CD Cantar maravilloso:
Rumba origi [1992] LISTEN
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CD
Browse or buy Los Munequitos de Matanzas
CDs at amazon
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