Latin Jazz

Pete C · June-20th-2003, 09:49 AM

Fernando Trueba, the director of Calle 54, has produced a stunningly beautiful new album, Lagrimas Negras, a collaboration of pianist Bebo Valdes and flamenco singer Diego El Cigala. Right now it appears to have only been released in Spain. I found some tracks on a newsgroup, and they really floored me. There's a nice video of the title track on the FNAC Spain website (with Paquito on alto). Go to this page

http://www.fnac.es/dsp/?servlet=exte...&prodID=434102

and click "Pincha aquí para ver el cómo se grabó Lágrimas negras".

SinginSumo · June-20th-2003, 09:14 PM

What a wonderfully pleasant post...and even better link. YES INDEEDY, Peter!

Harold_Z · June-20th-2003, 11:27 PM

Thanks man - I dug that. VERY enjoyable.

Chazro · June-21st-2003, 08:35 AM

Wazzup!

Thanks for the heads up on this website! Ever since seeing the Calle 54 All-Stars last year I've felt that Chano Dominguez was exploring a bold new direction in Latin Jazz. Jerry Gonzalez sat in with his band for half his set and there was talk of a collaboration. It's great to see on this website that there's a new record by Chano (finally!) AND a new one from Jerry (Been too long!!). I'm off to Tower but I doubt they'll have it, I'll probably have to wait 'til I go to Miami next month.

Muchisimas Gracias!!!!

RainyDay · June-22nd-2003, 08:49 PM

Very nice.

Bill Barton · June-29th-2003, 08:23 PM

Beautiful!

Thanks, Pete.

Pete C · July-16th-2003, 01:18 PM

For folks in NY, a show well worth catching on August 31 (I'll be there):

Maria Marquez, Makor, 35 W. 67, 8PM, $15

Venezuelan vocalist María Márquez has been proclaimed the next global diva, rubbing bare shoulders with Cesaria Evora, Susana Baca and Omara Portuondo. On the heels of her highly acclaimed CD “Eleven Love Stories/Once Cuentos de Amor” (Palm Pictures--2001), the Venezuelan vocalist, composer and producer continues to explore her country’s jazz music – with a taste of Brazil and the Caribbean. Celebrating her upcoming CD Princesa de la Naturaleza (Nature's Princess) she returns to Makor with Brazilian pianist Jovino Santos Neto, Panamanian bassist Santi Debriano, legendary Brazilian drummer Paulo Braga and Venezuelan percussionist Neil Ochoa, a member of the popular world music group Si Se.

Pete C · October-13th-2003, 05:41 PM

Ben Ratliff writes in today's Times about the album I started this thread with:

Lágrimas Negras
Bebo & Cigala

The recent film documentary "Calle 54," by the Spanish director Fernando Trueba, promoted the idea of pan-Latin jazz, showcasing musicians from Cuba, Spain, Brazil, the Dominican Republic and New York City; it came out of the same sensibility that created Madrid's Nuevo Flamenco scene, which combines flamenco with Latin roots music from around the world.

A key figure in "Calle 54" was the Cuban pianist Bebo Valdés, who turned 85 last week. With the Spanish gypsy singer Diego El Cigala, Mr. Valdés has created a casually profound record, and one of the great new cross-pollinating documents of Latin music.

The songs on "Lágrimas Negras" (BMG Spain), produced by Mr. Trueba, are mostly Cuban boleros, but there are also some Argentinian tangos and one Brazilian song, Jobim's "Eu Sei Que Vou Te Amar." Mr. Valdés plays them elegantly, in the Cuban style with touches of jazz feeling; El Cigala, a sandpaper-voiced flamenco singer, attacks them in a completely non-Cuban way, wavering among microtones and breaking into crackling shouts. Otherwise, there's minimal accompaniment by bass and cajón, the wooden box that's ubiquitous in Nuevo Flamenco; a couple of solos by the saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera and the violinist Federico Britos are neatly laid in.

The mixture of the two styles creates a hybrid third entity. Mr. Valdés and El Cigala transform the material; though the record succeeds entirely, you'll be most impressed by the renderings of whichever style you know best. (Though it hasn't been picked up by an American distributor yet, the album is available from www.descarga. com.)

GoodSpeak · October-13th-2003, 08:09 PM

Pete,

My Latin Jazz tastes run pretty much along the lines of Afro-Cuban, you know, Salsa, Samba, like that.

Any recommendations?

TimMc

Pete C · October-13th-2003, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by GoodSpeak
Pete,

My Latin Jazz tastes run pretty much along the lines of Afro-Cuban, you know, Salsa, Samba, like that.

Any recommendations?

TimMc

Tim, if you haven't seen Calle 54, watch the video or DVD.

Any of the Chico O'Farrill or Mario Bauza big band CDs are a good bet.

Dizzy Gillespie's Afro-Cuban Jazz Moods, on Pablo, is great, and it features him with the Machito band doing Chico O'Farrill charts.

I highly recommend Eddie Palmieri's recent La Perfecta II.

That's a few off the top of my head.

This might be a good time for folks to chime in with latin jazz favorites. I'm sure Chazro & Sumo, among others, could add a bunch.

By the way, Scott Yanow wrote a guide to Latin Jazz.

SinginSumo · October-14th-2003, 08:19 AM

Disk jockey Alfredo Cruz has made some terrific recommendations! Check this list out:

http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/contrib/bio?;6;11

P.S. Where has Ivy been??

Sergio Zamora · October-14th-2003, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by GoodSpeak
My Latin Jazz tastes run pretty much along the lines of Afro-Cuban, you know, Salsa, Samba, like that.

Samba is a Brazilian music. It's pretty different from any Afro-Cuban musical form. Did you mean something else like rumba or mambo?

mke · October-14th-2003, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sergio Zamora
Samba is a Brazilian music.

It's all Greek to me.

HA HA HA

Tom Storer · October-14th-2003, 10:40 AM

I've only dipped into Latin jazz a little teeny bit, but one record I adore is Tito Puente's Homenaje a Beny More, from 1978, featuring several different male singers and Celia Cruz, depending on the tracks. You can get that on Descarga, too. Not much soloing but who cares, there are killer arrangements and I love the singers. I see they also have volumes 2 and 3, and volume 3 is "con Celia Cruz." Hmm, I'll have to pick that up.

SinginSumo · October-14th-2003, 10:47 AM

Hi Tom! Why not try going directly to Beny Moré? There are many wonderful albums to choose from but I arbitrarily recommend this one as a starting point:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...561460-9816704

Noj · October-14th-2003, 10:55 AM

Latin:
Willie Bobo TALKIN' VERVE compilation
Joe Torres LATINO CON SOUL

Brasil:
THE GUITAR ARTISTRY OF Baden Powell
BOSSA NOVA BRASIL another Verve compilation

Pete C · October-14th-2003, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by SinginSumo
Hi Tom! Why not try going directly to Beny Moré? There are many wonderful albums to choose from but I arbitrarily recommend this one as a starting point:

But it doesn't have "Como Fue"!

I'd recommend this one , a 2-CD set for $13.99 with most of his most famous songs (40 tracks total).

Sergio Zamora · October-14th-2003, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pete C
But it doesn't have "Como Fue"!

You mean the bolero "Como Fue?"? Beny More wrote that?

Pete C · October-14th-2003, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sergio Zamora
You mean the bolero "Como Fue?"? Beny More wrote that?

Beny had the biggest hit. Ernesto Duarte wrote it. You can sing along here!

Sergio Zamora · October-14th-2003, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pete C
Beny had the biggest hit. Ernesto Duarte wrote it. You can sing along here!

Ah, ok. I really love that.

Pete C · October-14th-2003, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sergio Zamora
Ah, ok. I really love that.

Who'da thunk you were a romantic?

Cem · October-14th-2003, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pete C
Who'da thunk you were a romantic?

whaddya expect with a name like that?

GoodSpeak · October-14th-2003, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pete C
Tim, if you haven't seen Calle 54, watch the video or DVD.

Any of the Chico O'Farrill or Mario Bauza big band CDs are a good bet.

Dizzy Gillespie's Afro-Cuban Jazz Moods, on Pablo, is great, and it features him with the Machito band doing Chico O'Farrill charts.

I highly recommend Eddie Palmieri's recent La Perfecta II.

That's a few off the top of my head.

This might be a good time for folks to chime in with latin jazz favorites. I'm sure Chazro & Sumo, among others, could add a bunch.

By the way, Scott Yanow wrote a guide to Latin Jazz.

Pete,

I know we've had our troubles in the past, but you know your Jazz, my friend.

My hat is off to you.

I am sorry for being such a colossal jerk these past few years.

I was out of line and WAY off base.

[grammar and spelling lessons notwitstanding ;-) ]

Please...accept my sincerest of apologies.

TimMc