10.1.14

Mas Agua

  
Water Fantasies
Liszt - Fauré - Chopin - Ravel - Debussy
Eduard Stan, piano
2002

Tracks:

FRANZ LISZT (1811-1886)
01. Les jeux d’eau à la villa d’Este     8:18
02. Au lac de Wallenstadt 3:39
03. Au bord d’une source 4:28
04. “Auf dem Wasser zu singen” (Schubert – Liszt) 4:34
   
GABRIEL FAURÉ (1845 – 1924)
05. Barcarolle No. 9 in A Minor, op. 101 4:49
06. Barcarolle No. 5 in F sharp Minor, op. 66     7:21
07. Barcarolle No. 3 in G flat Major, op. 42     8:22
08. Barcarolle No. 8 in D flat Major, op. 96     3:49
   
FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN (1810 – 1849)
09. Prélude in D flat Major, op. 28 No. 15 “Raindrop”     5:20
   
MAURICE RAVEL (1875 – 1937)
10. Jeux d’eau     6:18

CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862 – 1918)
11. Reflets dans l’eau     5:13
12. Poissons d’or     4:24
13. L’Isle joyeuse 6:43
  
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 “This compilation of nature descriptions by means of the water element has been long overdue: Composers such as Liszt, Fauré, Chopin, Ravel or Debussy have written corresponding works, which the Romanian pianist Eduard Stan renders with a lot of atmosphere.
The enumeration of those composers points to a common style which was basically pursued in France, the impressionism…
Pianist Eduard Stan, a Transylvanian award-winner of various prizes, brings out the sounding stream most subtly. He succeeds in modelling sound values and moods, condensing them to extreme tensions despite his apparent lightness of playing.
In particular, he manages to put the listener into a meaningful relationship with the subject of
water: you listen to a lucidly lapping murmur and flow…”

teb (author), 28 May 2003

~~~~~~~~~~~~

„Water Fantasies“ is the motto of this CD which gives a selection of piano works concerning water. Piano music, as it were “inspired by the sound of water and the musical whim of fountains, waterfalls and brooks” (says Ravel about his “Jeux d’eau”) – piano sounds allowing the imagination of the listener to wake with manifold associations: barques, islands, fish…
text & piano:




 ♥

5.1.14

Agua

  
Japan: The Spirit of Water
1999

Tracks:
 
1. Shinrabansyo (All Creation) by Synergy - from Taiko (15021) - 5'23"
2. Zangetsu (Waning Moon) by Masayuki Koga - from Eastwind (17067) - 11'01"
3. Daha (Pounding Wave) by James Ashley Franklin - previously unreleased - 5'21"
4. Haru no Umi (Spring Sea) by Tomoko Sunazaki - from Tegoto (17068) - 7'00"
5. Ise (The Sea of Ise) by James Newton - from Echo Canyon (13012) - 5'39"
6. The Wave by Synergy - from Matsuri (13081) - 6'44"
7. Mountain Stream by Honoka - from Water Spirits (13160) - 6'19"

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Japan: The Spirit of Water is a superb exploration of Japanese tradition—the mastery of Japanese musics and spirit—emphasizing the link between the culture of Japan and the influence, or spirit, of water featuring both traditional and non-traditional techniques.

In the realm of music, or the art of sound (ongaku) as it is termed in Japanese, the fascination with water is something which cuts across stylistic or historical boundaries: new developments proceeding from traditional forms provide new vehicles for the embodiment of, amongst other sentiments, the spirit of water. This embodiment may be explicitly programmatic in nature, the program then often containing elements of the human world as well as the non–human environment. A famous and popular piece of this kind is Haru no Umi (Spring Sea) from the early 20th century. Although originally scored for the common combination of koto and shakuhachi, many arrangements of this piece now exist, including some for western instruments. The image of this piece proved to be so powerful that Haru no Umi has achieved the status of a national heritage heard virtually everywhere in Japan on New Year's Day.

The combination of koto and shakuhachi, in recent times, has become a musical exploration drawing on the traditional style and extending them as reflected in Mountain Stream with its melodic and harmonic structure based on tradition with an improvised musical process which is not traditional.

Japan is also the land of percussion sounds, the taiko. It appears in two of Japan's main dramatic forms, Nô and Kabuki, and is central to festival (matsuri) music as reflected in The Wave. Shinrabansyo (All Creation) combines taiko with shinobue (a Japanese transverse bamboo flute).

Raintree stems from a Japanese composer trained in Western composition. Ise is a piece by a Western composer/performer who has assimilated Japanese influences into his playing of non–Japanese music and instruments.
 
   
  
♥

1.1.14

A Happy New (Y)ear : )

  
Cuco Valoy
Sonero Y Valor
2007

Tracks:

01 - Los Soneros De Ayer
02 - Juliana
03 - El Murmulleo (Nueve Noches)
04 - Mendigo De Amor
05 - Hoy Te Maldigo
06 - El Golpe De Bibijagua
07 - Amor Para Mi
08 - Salsa Caliente
09 - Mentirosa
10 - Celitos Baratos
11 - Quejas De Mi Barrio
12 - El Borracho
13 - La Vida A Mi Modo
14 - Valle Arriba, Mare Abajo
  
♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫

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 "THE WITCH MASTER" Cuco Valoy (singer, composer, arranger, producer) and his guitarist brother Martín began working as a duo (Los Ahijados, the Godsons) in the late '50s based on popular Cuban voice and guitar duos and trios of the time, many songs written by Cuco. 'Páginas Gloriosas' '65 ('Pages Of Glory'; available on Páginas Gloriosas, Adelante Soldados '94) was Cuco's patriotic hymn and the anthem of the short-lived 'constitutional revolution', suppressed by a military government helped by US Marines.

Listen to the music of Los Ahijados : )

'I was young,' he says (now describing himself as apolitical); 'I identified with the impoverished and marginalized against the wealthy establishment in power ... but it was a long time ago.' (interviewed by Philip Sweeney in the Independent '93). They met leaders of the budding salsa boom in New York '71; Cuco formed a twelve-piece band '75 which he named both Los Virtuosos (the Virtuous) and La Tribu (the Tribe), changed to Nueva Tribu (New Tribe) when new members were added mid-'80s. The lineup included lead and chorus voices, rhythm section and a changing front line of one or two saxophones, two or three trumpets and frequently one trombone; personnel including the splendid vocalist Henry García (mid-'70s to mid-'80s), Martín on bass, and two of Cuco's 14 sons: Marcos Antonio Valoy (sometimes on trombone) and Ramón Orlando (Valoy, piano, musical director, arranger, composer, chorus singer). Ramón left mid-'80s and became a major Dominican star. Until then, Valoy featured a variety of salsa and merengue (the DR's predominate dance form) but then deviated from this rule on albums that were largely or totally merengue. Lots of his best material was scattered through albums on the Discolor and Kubaney labels '75-83, later compiled on the Kubaney CD collections: Sonero, El Brujo (Volumen 2), 20 Exitos De Los Ahijados (with Los Ahijados), La Salsa De Cuco Valoy -- 15 Exitos, Salsa Con Coco, Bien Sobao, Sonero Mayor and Cuco y Martín Valoy (with Los Ahijados) '87-94; annoyingly, just to confuse things, the '92 compilations Salsa Con Coco and Bien Sobao have the same titles and cover artwork as Valoy's '78 and '82 releases. His key albums on Discolor were Salsa Con Coco '78, Tremenda Salsa '78 (aka Cuco Valoy y su Tribu en Curazao), Arrollando '79 and Tiza! '80, the latter including what Sweeney described as the 'superbly melodramatic salsa thriller' 'Mendigo de Amor' ('Beggar Of Love'). Cuco recorded for small firms '83-7, returning to Kubaney '88; treasures lurking among the mid-'80s albums include Cuco Valoy y su Tribu '84 on his own CVR label, Mejor Que Nunca '85 and Con Sabor del Tropico '86, both on Team. He made a substantial return to salsa on A Petición Popular Salsa '89, which was entirely arranged by Isidro Infante. Cuco reunited with Ramón on La Gran Obra Musical De Cuco Valoy '91 on J&N/Fuga Records; Infante was co-musical director, co-arranger and keyboardist on Valoy's last album on J&N, El Que Sabe! '92 and as co-arranger on Sabroso '93, his first on AVL. On Sabroso he returned to his first love, old Cuban songs; he told Sweeney it was the music he felt most deeply. Cuco settled in New Jersey '91, and with his Nueva Tribu was doing three to four gigs a week across North and South America in '93. Many of Cuco's more than 300 songs are about women, such as his monster hit 'Juliana' from Salsa Con Coco '78; 'I find it easy to write songs on the bitterness of love gone wrong because it's a part of the everyday life of ordinary people -- everybody recognizes it.' He acquired a nickname and an association with the Afro-Christian voodoo cult of santería with his merengue hit 'El Brujo' '77 ('The Wizard' from El Brujo '76, aka Corre, Policia, Corre!): a woman with a wayward husband uses a potion to bring him back. UK disc jockey Tomek decided '91 that Cuco really was a wizard, in 'his mastery of all elements of the Cuban-Dominican expression, ''merensalsa''. The immaculate swing of his band is informed by arrangements which never sacrifice the bittersweet diasporic tradition for specious modernism...' Further albums: Las Mujeres Calientes: Bachata, Merengue y Son '94 and Selección de Merengues '95 on AVL, Merengues Bombon '95 and Salsa Con Valoy '96 (compiles salsa tracks from '91-3 albums) on Mr Imperio.In 1997 DE VUELTA AL SON in 1998 A DOS TIEMPOS with Rmm in 2005 with kubaney INCTACTOand his new hit La Piedra and "Merengues Clasicos" is on digital store 2009. 



Cuco Valoy

In a career beginning in the 1950s and continuing into the present day, Cuco Valoy has known success singing son, salsa, merengue, bachata and bolero, in addition to playing and singing Afro-Dominican folk styles like palo. Not only has Valoy’s career run the gamut of Dominican musical forms, he has also seen the music from the vantage point of singer, percussionist, guitarist, producer, and even on-air disc jockey. Known chiefly as a vocalist, Valoy recorded both the rhythm guitar and the bongo for the son duo Los Ahijados which he fronted with his brother Martin, and often played piano or bass on his later merengue recordings. Many of the early merengues de guitarra recorded by bachateros like Edilio Paredes and Ramon Cordero featured Valoy on tambora. As a producer he worked with pioneering musicians like Bernardo Ortiz and Antonio Gomez Salcedo, and he was recognized by no less a figure than Radio Guarachita founder Radhames Aracena as having been the first radio disc jockey in the Dominican Republic to play bachata on the air.

Valoy was born in 1937 in Mano Guayabo, near the capital of Santo Domingo.
The Dominican Republic is home to a thriving culture of soneros, from Santiago to the capital, and Valoy grew up in the middle of it. Cuco’s father wanted his sons to be professional musicians, and though only a carpenter of humble means, he had Cuco study music at El Conservatorio Nacional de Música de la República .

Cuco’s professional career started in the late 1950s with Los Ahijados ( The god-children), a traditional son group he formed with his brother Martin and named in response to the great Cuban duo Los Compadres (The Godfathers). Without a doubt the most commercially successful Dominican soneros ever, Los Ahijados enjoyed hit after hit until Valoy turned to salsa and orchestra merengue in the early 1970s.

Cuban music exports dried up after the arrival of Fidel Castro in 1959. Inversely, in 1961, three decades of restrictions on Dominican music were lifted with the demise of dictator Rafael Trujillo. For Dominican son lovers, Los Ahijados filled the vacuum left by the silence from Cuba. Valoy was conscious of this, and in many of his songs he makes references to the great Cuban soneros of the past, artists like Miguel Matamoros and Antonio Machín. Some of the duo’s most memorable songs, like “Vaiven” and “El paso de la jaiva” have become standards in the international son repertoire.

The success of Los Ahijados left Valoy with the resources to invest in his own record label and radio station. Soon after the death of Trujillo, a wave of migration took place from the countryside to the city, and the capital’s new residents brought with them their love of guitar music; the result was the Dominican variant of bolero which has come to be known as bachata. It was in the midst of this wave that Valoy began to work as a producer, and some of the best loved of early bachatas were sung by his artists, songs like “Dos rosas” by Bernardo Ortiz and “El interno” by Antonio Gomez Salcedo. Apart from these singers Valoy’s studio was the first to employ legendary guitarist Edilio Paredes, who Valoy calls “A musician of extraordinary importance.”

...

 



 ♥

22.11.13

Howie & Ashley


Howie MacDonald & Ashley MacIsaac
Cape Breton Fiddle Music -Not Calm

2001

Tracks:

01. Intro, Ashley
02. Old Time Wedding Reel Medley
03. Mocking Bird Medley
04. Buttermilk Mary Medley
05. Constitution Breakdown Medley
06. River Bend, Mason's Apron Medley
07. Tulloch Gorm Medley
 
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Feet Stomping Wild.....

 Two of Cape Breton's finest fiddlers team up for their first recording together..... Howie MacDonald and Ashley MacIsaac...and if that is NOT enough...it was recorded live with all the energy found in a typical Maritime Pub. Cape Breton Fiddle Music NOT CALM is Howie's 9th album and Ashley's 7th. Both appear on numerous compilations including the new " more Bridges 2 cross " coming this summer 2001. There are tons of tunes here for you to stomp your feet to and maybe have a swing around the kitchen...

*

Don't expect to sit back and relax! It's anything but calm! This one gets the heart racing- and the china bouncing off the cabinet! The whole album is very raw and exciting, giving you ten times more pleasure than you paid for.

Absolutely amazing players -I was delighted to hear my own personal all-time favourite tune "Welcome to the Shetlands" by Willie hunter, performed by Howie and Ashley, probably the best rendition I have ever heard. The piano on "Mocking Bird Medley" is absolutely outstanding; On this album Howie plays guitar and piano, as well as fiddle, beautifully, and in true Cape Breton style, multi-talented to say the very least, He was awarded Roots/Traditional Artist of the Year Award, 1991 (E.C.M.A.); and nominated for several others.

Fellow "Caper", Ashley MacIsaac, is a step - dancing explosion of energy, drive and talent; an outstanding player; it's difficult to believe he is only 26. I was not surprised to learn he is a cousin of Nova Scotia's Natalie MacMaster. It figures!

You'll be tapping your feet from beginning to end of this hour-long fabulous performance of almost 70 well-known fiddle tunes, and then you will want to play it again and again.

'NOT CALM' was inspired by the death of a close mutual friend of Howie and Ashley's - John Morris Rankin. It was recorded live 'off the floor', in various pubs throughout Nova Scotia in spring 2000 but wasn't released until spring 2001. The tunes are very off- the-cuff and spontaneous - as you can tell! The fact that it falters at times and the odd mistake here and there, prove that it is live and unrehearsed - this makes it all the more special. You can hear the audience cheering and the sound of feet stomping on the floor, you can feel the energy, and it's almost as if they are playing in your own living room! Although Ashley and Howie have played gigs together on and off for many years, this is their first recording together, NOT CALM is Howie's ninth recording and Ashley's seventh, Both appear on numerous compilations including the new " more bridges 2 cross" coming this summer 2001, personally, I can't wait! On the last track, it comes to a very abrupt end as it cuts out mid-tune - I can only assume the tape ran out and the cut was too good to lose! Have you ever heard a CD end in mid air…………..?

This will be a favourite for decades to come.

They are definitely my "New Hero's"

Breathtaking!

Kirsty Robson

Review From www.livingtradition.co.uk

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21.11.13

Mon Oncle - Best Fiddle On The Trail

  
Natalie & Buddy MacMaster
Traditional Music From Cape Breton Island

2005

Tracks:

01. The King George Medley
02. The Little Pickle
03. Scourdiness
04. The Red Shoes
05. The Dougall Creature
06. Primrose Lasses
07. Iona House (Buddy solo)
08. The Stage
09. The Leg of the Duck
10. The Warlock
11. The Bonnie Lass of Headlake
12. Wilfred's Fiddle
13. The Ten Pound Fiddle (Natalie solo)
  
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Tradtional Music from Cape Breton Island is a straight-ahead recording of classic Cape Breton medleys played a s duets by two of Cape Breton 's finest fiddlers.

There is a cassette tape I often listen to of uncle Buddy and John Morris Rankin at the firehall in Mabou in 1986.
It’s not of studio quality as it was recorded on an old cassette machine, but it is magic. I often play along with it.

It occurred to me one day that Buddy and I should record some of those tunes together in a studio, as we had never done so before. The music would be a keepsake for our family and we could have the option of using a track or two on one of our own future solo recordings.

After playing some of these great “Buddy tunes” together, we both felt quite good about the music and reached the conclusion that this recording should become its own CD – a permanent imprint of a family tradition passed down from uncle to niece. This tradition also includes my aunt (Buddy’s sister), Betty Lou Beaton on piano.

I have predominantly listened to Buddy’s fiddling throughout my life –on home recordings, at square dances and live at family gatherings and parties. He has influenced my fiddling immensely. This recording is a tribute to his music, our family traditions and to Cape Breton Island. ~~ Natalie MacMaster

Thank you to all the wonderful and generous people involved with this project, especially: Jennifer and Bob Quinn, Joe Whalen, Wally Hayes, Cheryl Smith, Shelly Campbell, Frank MacDonald, Andrea Beaton, Paul MacDonald, Linden MacIntyre, Donnell Leahy, Scott Lake, Minnie MacMaster, Barbara Battaglia.

A special thanks also to:

Betty Lou Beaton and Dave MacIsaac for their wonderful accompaniment, and to Genevieve Whalen and Alex MacMaster whose presence and opinion at the recording session meant more than they’ll ever know.

Thanks always to God for the beautiful gift of family and music.
  

Cape Breton Fiddlers 


Until the recent revival, fiddling had always been an amateur pursuit. Typical of the older generation of fiddlers was Dan R MacDonald (1911-76) who is credited with composing over 1,000 tunes; because he learned to read and write music, he was able to publish them. Bill Lamey (1914-91) lived much of his life in Boston, but established an outpost of Cape Breton life there, becoming President of the of Cape Breton Island Gaelic Foundation, promoting visits from fiddlers to Boston, where he ran regular dances. Jerry Holland (1955-2009) began playing at these dances, going on to perform regularly on the John Allen Cameron TV show, and publishing several collection of tunes. Though not a native, he lived on Cape Breton from 1975.


Buddy MacMaster was born into a Gaelic speaking family and the lilting of “mouth music” was his first introduction to the tunes played in Cape Breton. It is said that there is a strong link between the language and the true Cape Breton fiddle sound. Before he was given his first instrument as a child he would rub two sticks together in imitation of a fiddle. From 1943 he worked on the Canadian National Railway as a station agent and telegrapher. When working the night shift he would practice his fiddle between trains, and other agents would often tune in their radios to listen to him. Whilst he was a popular fiddler at dances for many years, it was not until later life, from the 70’s onwards, when he got the international recognition he deserved. He played in Scotland and England and in the US, and appeared on TV, radio and on albums.


Buddy’s niece Natalie MacMaster, born in 1972, had the benefit of much wider musical opportunities from a young age. As well as fiddling, she was singing Gaelic, step-dancing and playing piano from an early age. She was already recording and performing in her early teens, and in 1995 signed to Warner Brothers. Her good looks, charm and sunny personality, along with her simultaneous fiddling and step-dancing, made her an ideal figurehead for Cape Breton music in the wider world. Her 2002 album Blueprint was produced by fiddle maestro Darrol Anger and, with an interesting twist to her Cape Breton/Scottish roots, used some of America’s finest bluegrass players (they don’t come much better than Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, and Edgar Meyer!). Her albums draw on a variety of “outside” influences but remain very much rooted in the jigs, reels, strathspeys, airs and hornpipes of her native tradition. Typical of the welcome and generosity of that tradition is that on her website you will find free sheet music to most of the tunes she has recorded. She is married to fellow fiddler Donald Leahy, and though they have two separate musical careers they are often able to guest with one another’s bands. 


On a personal note:
Listen & rush out to buy all Canadian Fiddle records you can find!
I did and it was the best thing I did lately!

You need to hear some more?
Just hop over to my favourite blog lately who started the Fiddle Fever in me again:

Don't forget to say "Hello" and thanks for his labour of love : )

I shut up now.
and you
listen!

♥

11.11.13

A mi me gusta la Plena!

  
Plena Libre - Mas Libre
2000

Tracks:

01. La Plena Bien Sabrosa
02. Maria Luisa
03. El Bravo
04. Tema De Luis Gabriel
05. Chiviriquiton
06. Somos Diferentes
07. Malcria'o
08. Quiereme
09. A Mi Manera
10. Dos Ojos
11. Pa'qui Pa'lla

Plena Libre es:

GARY NUÑES - Bajo "baby" y eléctrico, coro y arreglos musicales, productor y direción musical
ISRAEL VELEZ - Pandero Seguidor 
ANGEL SANTIAGO - Pandero Seguidor
PABLO GONZALEZ - Güiro y percusión menor
GINA VILLANUEVA - Congas
VICTOR MUNIZ - Cantante, coro y punteador
RUBEN ROMAN - Cantante, coro y percusión menor
CARLOS "KALIE" VILLANUEVA - Cantante y Percusión menor
RAFAEL TORRES - Piano y teclados
EDWIN CLEMENTE - Timbal, batá y campana
RAFAEL TORRES, DANIEL FUENTES, ANTONIO VAZQUEZ, JORGE DIAS, VICTOR VAZQUEZ - Trombón
TITO ALLEN - Coro 

Músicos Invitados:

JOSE ALBERTO "El Canário" Cantante en "Somos Diferentes"
NESTOR TORRES Flauta en " Tema de Luiz Gabriel"
PEPE LUCAS Piano en "Malcria'o"
CHARLIE SEPULVEDA Trumpeta en "El Bravo"
JORGE LABOY Guitarras en "El Bravo" y " Quiéreme"
FREDDIE DIAS Percusión brasileña en "El Bravo"
JUAN CASTILLO Sinfonía de mano en "Mária Luisa"
GEORGIE SALGADO Batería en "Quiéreme"
HECTOR PEREZ Güiro cubano y maracas en "El Bravo" y "Somos Diferentes"
   
♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•♫

        


        

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 Founded by bassist Gary Nunez in 1994, Plena Libre reclaimed the long-ignored Puerto Rican folklore-derived plena style from the obscurity following its brief '50s/early-'60s popularity. Contemporary dance arrangements were all that was needed to return the style to prominence; the group's debut album, Juntos Y Revueltos, was recorded on a shoestring budget, but proved an instant sensation on the island. Subsequent recordings included an eponymous 1998 album, Plena Libre's first for the international market. Mas Libre followed two years later. 


Plena Libre revives the best of Puerto Rican musical traditions
 
By Jesse "Chuy" Varela

 
TALKING TO bassist Gary Nuñez, leader of the Puerto Rican ensemble Plena Libre, you realize he's on a mission to modernize some of the island's oldest beats with a new outlook. Born out of the island's Afro-Caribbean experience, the sounds of bomba y plena are what musically identify the African-Spanish heritage so prominent in its culture. Sometimes messing with tradition is not looked at favorably, but not with Plena Libre. "We're considered one of the top orchestras regardless of genre," says Nuñez in Spanish from his home in San Juan. "Yes, Plena Libre is a bomba y plena band, but people don't see us as that. We're like any other artists interpreting our music."
 
They are considered youthful revivalists who rescued a genre that fell into obscurity after its reign of popularity in the 1950s with pivotal figures like Rafael Cortijo and Ismael Rivera. Since its formation in 1994, Plena Libre has unclogged the cultural logjam against these folkloric forms and scored a hit with "El Party." As a result, the band has inspired many salseros and young Puerto Rican jazz artists to explore these traditional rhythms.    

  
The bomba y plena garnered a foothold as a popular expression in the late 1800s. During the Spanish-American War, the idiom served as the newspapers of the people as troubadours sang about events and prominent figures. It was largely a guitar and hand-percussion sound with soulful, tearful voices. In the 1920s, it migrated to New York City, and troubadours like Rafael Hernandez and Manuel Jimenez ("Canario") became the voice of the people. The essence of bomba y plena lies in its communal form as a percussive act of call and response. Plena Libre makes strong use of these rudiments, including the handheld panderetas, to pound out infectious beats on tambourinelike hand-drums without the metal shingles.
 
"We put the panderos back in fashion," Nuñez explains. "They disappeared with the music of Rafael Cortijo, who was the first to begin using conga drums to play bomba y plena. The panderos were forgotten. They are instruments that were invented to be played with this music. That's why we use them." From its 1995 self-produced debut CD, Cogelo, que ahi te va!, the 13-piece Plena Libre has stayed largely intact with virtuosic performers like conga-drummer Gina Villanueva and singer Giovanni Lugo. The band's latest album, Mas Libre (RykoLatino), features the prolific songwriting skills of Nuñez.
 
"For our generation, thematic subjects from a bygone era about sugarcane and trains don't connect," Nuñez says. "Our reality has to do more with cellphones and beepers. We're another generation that bring a different point of view which I try to reflect in the themes Plena Libre touches. I believe that we need to show who we are today as Puerto Ricans. So we do songs that touch on the question of Vieques and that articulate the sentiments of our people--in principle, we are still troubadours." 
 
  
 ...Whereas bomba is purely African origin, plena blends elements from Puerto Ricans' wide cultural backgrounds, including music that the Taíno tribes may have used during their ceremonies. This type of music first appeared in Ponce about 100 years ago, when performing the plena became a hallmark of Spanish tradition and coquetry.
 
Instruments used in plena include the güiro, a dried-out gourd whose surface is cuts with parallel grooves and, when rubbed with a stick, produces a raspy and rhythmical percussive noise. The Taínos may have invented this instrument. From the guitars brought to the New World by the Spanish "conquistadores" emerged the 10-stringed cuatro. To the güiro and cuatro added the tambourine, known as panderos, originally derived from Africa. Dancing plena became a kind of living newspaper. Singers recited the events of the day and often satirized local politicians or scandals. Sometimes plenas were filled with biting satire; at other times, they commented on major news events of the day, such as a devastating hurricane.

Bomba y plena remain the most popular forms of folk music on the island, and many cultural events highlight this music for entertainment. ...


♥

10.11.13

Banjo

  
Riley Baugus - Life of Riley
2001

Tracks:

01. Cumberland Gap
02. Pretty Polly
03. John Brown's Dream
04. Big Liza's Christmas Holiday
05. Country Blues
06. June Apple
07. Sally Ann
08. Little Maggie
09. Cider
10. Half Shaved
11. Fortune
12. Little Satchel
13. Lost Lover Blues
14. Pouring Out Your Love

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 hot platter!

High energy Old-Time clawhammer banjo from North Carolina with an emphasis on Round Peak style, featuring songs and tunes learned from great Old-Time players such as Tommy Jarrell, Dix Freeman, Fred Cockerham and Dock Boggs.

Riley Baugus is a second-generation banjo player and builder who spent many an hour in his youth visiting the great old-time musicians of Surry County, NC and Grayson County, VA, learning tunes from the likes of Fred Cockerham, Tommy Jarrell, Kyle Creed, Wade Ward, Dock Boggs and others. More than a little of the right stuff has rubbed off on this player; this self-produced collection of 14 sparkling tunes and songs -- chestnuts like "Cumberland Gap," "Pretty Polly," "Sally Ann," "Little Maggie" and more -- bears the definite imprint of these masters, and shows that these distinctive regional styles are in good hands for another generation.

***

"Most old-time musicians were not doing it to make a living," Baugus says. "Most of this music was played because people needed entertainment. It was a hard life: Quite often, you know, you'd go out and work in the fields all day, and when nightfall comes, you're tired and you want something different."

***

Riley Baugus represents the best of old time American banjo and song. His powerful singing voice and his expert musicianship place him squarely in the next generation of the quality American roots tradition.

Riley first came to music through his family. His father had left his roots in the mountains of North Carolina in the search for work, settling near Winston-Salem and bringing with him a love of old time music and a record collection that included, amongst others, the works of fellow North Carolinian Doc Watson, which touched the young Riley on a molecular level.

His family’s attendance at Regular Baptist church gave him early exposure to the unaccompanied singing that is a time-honored tradition for ballad singers throughout the Appalachians. Starting on the fiddle, Riley quickly moved on to the banjo, building his first instrument from scrap wood with his father.

With friend and neighbour, Kirk Sutphin, Riley began honing his musical skills. Together they visited elder traditional musicians throughout North Carolina and Virginia, learning the Round Peak style at the knee of National Heritage Award winner Tommy Jarrell and other traditional musicians of the area, including Dix Freeman, Chester McMillian and former Camp Creek Boys members Verlin Clifton and Paul Sutphin.

Over the years, whilst working as a weldor and a blacksmith by day, Riley played with many old time string bands, including the Old Hollow String Band and the Red Hots. His self-produced recording, "Life Of Riley" (Yodel-Ay-Hee, 2001), showcases his masterful, elegant banjo playing and his rich, raw boned singing voice.

One fateful day, Riley got a call from longtime friend and collaborator Dirk Powell. Dirk was involved in the music direction for the Academy Award-winning film "Cold Mountain" and had convinced the producers that they needed Civil War era banjos made in the Carolina hills, specifically Riley’s handmade banjos. They also needed an authentic acapella ballad singer for the voice of Pangle, played by Ethan Suplee. Riley put the hammer down on the anvil and didn’t look back. A whirlwind Hollywood experience ensued, culminating in a place on the star studded "Great High Mountain" tour.

From there, Riley has made his own path, building in-demand instruments and performing at festivals all over the world. He made musical contributions to the Appalshop film, "Thoughts In The Presence of Fear", and to a film by Erika Yeomans; "Grand Gorge: No God But Me". He has worked with the Lonesome Sisters as producer and performer on their recording "Going Home Shoes". Riley collaborated with Laurelyn Dossett and Preston Lane of Triad Stage on theatrical presentations featuring original and traditional southern Appalachian music.

His next recording, "Long Steel Rail" (Sugar Hill Records, 2006), produced by Tim O'Brien and Dirk Powell, appeared to critical acclaim, with Billboard Magazine heralding it as "..quintessential American old-time music. The instrumental component is impeccable, while Baugus' vocals sound like they've been echoing through the Appalachian Mountains for about 150 years."

In 2008, a call from T-Bone Burnett put Riley back in the studio in Nashville, this time as a contributor to the Grammy award winning Album Of The Year, "Raising Sand" - the multi-million selling album by Alison Krauss and Robert Plant. Two years later, Riley's banjo playing was featured on Willie Nelson's Grammy nominated recording "Country Music".

Riley has taught at camps and festivals around the world, including Augusta Heritage Festival and Augusta Old Time Week, Mars Hill College's Blue Ridge Old Time Music Week, Midwest Banjo Camp in Lansing, MI, the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, WA and Sore Fingers Week in the UK.

When not teaching or building banjos, Riley can be found out on the road performing. He plays with the Dirk Powell Band and with Kirk Sutphin. He is a frequent guest of Polecat Creek and of Tim O'Brien with Dirk Powell. With Ira Bernstein, he presents the show "Appalachian Roots", a unique showcase of Appalachian music and dance.
 






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8.11.13

On Bulls, Art & Life

A Bull
Bulls
Bull at night, Egypt
Mountains
Mountains, Ararat
Old Tblisi
Seller of greens
October in Yerevan
Fruits on the blue plate

Martiros Saryan

Martiros Saryan (1880-1972) was an Armenian painter regarded for his masterful selection and use of color.

Inspired by the likes of Henri-Émile-Benoît Matisse and Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin, Saryan captured a sentimental slice of Armenian life in his minimal landscapes, meticulous still lifes, and bold, honest portraiture.

Saryan studied at the Moscow School of Arts and traveled throughout the neighboring region before returning to live in Armenia in 1921. After spending the second half of the 1920s in Paris, Saryan returned to the Soviet Union, tragically losing most of his work from that period at the fault of a fire on board his homeward bound vessel.

Among praise in the Moscow press, Saryan received the Order of Lenin on numerous occasions, as well as a role as a deputy to the USSR Supreme Soviet. 

wiki

Nature's ways are wonderful and unfathomable. The grain swells in the soil, the sprout grows and flowers when the time comes and then it bears new fruit and so does not die. We are like grain. We never die because we are One with Nature. To understand this is to comprehend Immortality—the Apotheosis of the Human Race. It is with this conviction that I have lived my Life. My Life is a store of my experience, a Life of aspirations, sorrows, joys and triumphs. 
(M. Saryan)

Life is an island. People come out of the sea, cross the island, and return to the sea. But this short life is long and beautiful. In getting to know nature man exalts the wonder and beauty of life 
(M. Saryan)
 


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12.9.13

Dodecanese

 
Songs of the Dodecanese
1997

Tracks:

Songs of Kasos

1. Alenti
2. Voskistikos song
3. Zervos
4. Pathos(passion)
5. Blue Maren

Songs of Karpathos

6. A girl of Elymbos
7. Sousta
8. Lambros katsonis
9. Mantinades

Songs of Rhodes

10. New year Carol
11. Sousta
12. The hundred words of love

Songs of Symi

13. Nanou
14. Bournovalis
15. Koukoumas

Songs of Chalki

16. Swallow song of March 1st
17. Song of dawn
18. Wedding song
19. Sousta
  
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This cd is a reissue of the vinyl records of the Society for the Dissemination of National Music. The version of this cd is dedicated in memory of Simon Karas, who was born in Olympia, the village Lepreo and died in January 1999. The music and songs of this cd, is by Kasos, recordings in the village of Agia Marina Kassos in November 1972. Karpathos Elympos recordings in the village of Karpathos in November 1972. Rhodes, recording in December 1972. Symi, recording music from Symi to Rhodes Town, in December 1972 and Chalki, where the recording was made in December 1972.

tran lation again by go gle ; )
  

Dodecanese means the twelve islands. These islands were under Italian rule between 1923 and 1944, then under British rule between 1944 and 1947. In 1948 they were finally reunited with Greece. Their music and dance were influenced by the Cretans who immigrated, fleeing from the Turks. Dances from this area include Sirtos, Ballos, Issos, Sirtos and Sousta.
  

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And A Fine Wind Blows From Afar...

ΑΝΝΑ ΚΑΡΑΜΠΕΣΙΝΗ - ΕΦΗ ΣΑΡΡΗ
ΝΗΣΙΩΤΙΚΑ ΤΡΑΓΟΥΔΙΑ Ν.1
Anna Karampesini - Efi Sarri
Nisiotika tragoydia 1

Tracks:

01. Η ΒΡΑΚΑ
02. ΜΕΣ ΣΤΗΝ ΞΕΝΙΤΕΙΑ ΓΥΡΙΖΩ
03. ΕΝΑΣ ΠΕΤΕΙΝΟΣ
04. ΒΑΡΚΑ ΘΕΛΩ Ν'ΑΡΜΑΤΩΣΩ
05. ΟΛΟΙ ΜΕ ΒΛΕΠΟΥΝ ΚΙ ΑΠΟΡΟΥΝ
06. ΒΑΛΕΡ ΠΛΩΡΗ ΣΤΑ ΝΗΣΙΑ
07. ΟΜΠΙ ΟΜΠΙ ΜΠΙ
08. ΤΗΣ ΘΑΛΑΣΣΑΣ ΦΩΝΑΖΩ
09. ΣΑΝ ΠΑΣ ΣΤΑ ΞΕΝΑ
10. ΗΚΑΨΕΣ ΜΕ ΗΚΑΨΕΣ ΜΕ
11. ΕΛΑ ΜΠΡΟΒΑΛΕ - ΣΥΡΤΟΣ
12. ΜΗ ΜΟΥ ΤΑ ΜΗΝΑΣ ΤΑ ΛΟΓΙΑ - ΚΑΛΑΜΑΤΙΑΝΟΣ
13. ΕΛΑ ΠΑΝΑΓΙΑ ΜΟΥ ΣΩΣΕ - ΤΟΥ ΓΑΜΟΥ
14. ΤΑ ΓΡΙ ΓΡΙ ΤΟΥ ΘΕΟΧΑΡΗ - ΣΥΡΤΟΣ
15. ΕΝΑ ΠΙΚΡΟ ΚΙ ΕΝΑ ΓΛΥΚΟ - ΣΥΡΤΟΣ
16. ΤΗΣ ΠΕΡΑ ΧΩΡΑΣ ΤΑ ΝΗΣΙΑ - ΣΥΡΤΟΣ
17. ΠΑΝΑΘΕΜΑ ΣΕ ΞΕΝΙΤΙΑ - ΚΑΛΑΜΑΤΙΑΝΟΣ
19. ΚΟΤΙΚΗ ΣΟΥΣΤΑ
19. ΑΓΑΠΩ ΤΟΝ ΚΙ ΑΓΑΠΑ ΜΕ
20. ΤΟΥΡΝΑ ΤΟΥΡΝΑ
21. ΣΥΡΤΟΣ
 
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Anna Karambesini
 born: 1923
Greece: Andimahia, Kos

Anna Sarri Karambesini is one of Kos’s greatest and best loved singers. She has left a heritage of traditional and island music.

 and her sister

Efi Sarri

Greek singer & songwriter of traditional and folk songs.

Not to be confused with the Greek Laiko singer with the same name.



...and this writes the reporter:
GEORGE ZACHARIADIS (translated by gooogle)

ANNA! ... The only Anna Sarri - Karabesinis who sang with the ageless voice of love, joy, sorrow, Foreign Lands , pain , love, our islands , literally charmed all who listened last Sunday of the channel ET3 unravel the tangle of her life and revives unrepeatable songs until today keeping alive the musical tradition ! ..

The Anna on 90 years now, is still the muse of the Aegean and in spite of the times and all the disgusting phenomena of today shows us the way of Greece, its islands we do not want to forget... Since Greece 's dignity , humanity , culture and tradition that should not be missed. And that makes today the Anna from Antimacheia Kos continues to struggle through the beasts of globalization with the sole aim to make us believe that Greece is not the poikilonymoi songwriters channels and record companies , but that culture lies tradition and the island song passionately served , highlighted rescued .

Greece, Dodecanese , Kos should feel pride Anna Sarri - Karabesinis . Because if the Lady of Ro , Despina Achladioti , held up the Greek flag during the years of occupation, the Anna Sarri - Karabesinis hold high the banner of the musical tradition of the islands of the Aegean, Greece. And this can not argue with none.

Today, despite the great age he heard her singing in the same unique way " Pervolaria ", " all poppies ", " the dyosmaraki ", " the complainer me " and all other songs from 1952 staged in Athens able to highlight and makes estate Greek people that just because , through the difficult years of the occupation period , was able to hide in the heart and to rescue them , should owe gratitude ! ...

For many years it was able with the help of the great composer Simon Karras , offer moments of traditional music piety even in foreign countries where the emigration of Greeks wanted to savor the sweet taste of the country and that so generously donated to the voice of the Anna .He traveled around the world to give joy to our emigrants , although the fate has reserved an ugly game, as the death of her beloved sister Effie , found her in Australia near the Dodecanese compatriots .

And yet that day made ​​the heart of stone and sang for Koans , the Rhodians , the Symi , Kalymnos' , the Nisyros , the Carpathians "the Tzivaeri " and " I love you because you're beautiful" and made all compatriots to live moments of nostalgia and desire to return once their favorite islands ! ..

The broadcast ET3 keeps shocking moment that Anna over the grave of a man and her sister , pours a bottle of white wine from Kos " to drink as we did in daily entertainments and feasts " and even singing a dirge for island the loss of loved ones..

The Anna Sarri - Karabesinis now lives alone in the poor house in Kos with a small pension from IKA . Partner has all the records released over the years with me turntables . Friends visiting and companionship doing and always has sweet tomatoes to offer them and when they come to cheer and say no island music apafta who unprecedented manner sing Anna .

The state television broadcast was due a little tribute to a woman of tradition, gallantry . And it is tragic that the callous Greek state is not claimed to give an honorable retirement as he did for so many others, maybe some people do not deserve it.


   
Antimachia Kos

The traditional rural village of Antimachia in Kos is particularly renowned for its talented local people who are excellent singers and dancers. The village also boasts some of the best folk musicians and poets who are especially talented in their satirical improvisations. Antimachia is surrounded by magnificent beaches, picturesque countryside and a village of traditional houses, old windmills and, just north of the village, the well preserved ruins of a 14th century castle of the Order of the Knights of St. John which overlooks the Straits of Nisyros. Inside the castle are many small dwellings and two old churches: the 16th century Agios Nikolaos and the Byzantine Agia Paraskevi. In the village itself you can visit a traditional house, the House of Antimachia, where you will see original furniture and other artefacts from village life in the early 20th century. Just opposite this house is an old traditional windmill, The Priests Mill, Milos tou Papa, which is now a museum. The charm of this village is mainly due to the genuine friendliness and love of tradition of the locals who keep the ancient traditions and customs alive. These are manifested throughout the year by a variety of festivals, mainly devoted to agriculture, where theatre, dance, poetry, music and good food and wine are all part of the festivities. During the period of All Saints Day, or Halloween, it is carnival time and the Carnival of Antimachia is not to be missed. On 30th June is the festival in honour of Agion Apostolon and on 15th August that in honour of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, both festivals are enjoyed in a very traditional way that has been handed down over the generations. However, one of the most important festivals occurs in late August and this is the Festival of Honey Giorti Tou Meliou. Here as well as being able to enjoy and take part in the dancing and singing, you will also have the chance to sample some excellent local honey and a variety of pastries made with honey. A further important festival occurs in early September and this is the Wine Festival, which suffice to say, involves the drinking of plenty of wine, plenty of tasty local food available and dancing and singing until the small hours.. 

Things to do and see

As Antimachia is inland it can get quite warm in the summer months with no cooling seas to refresh oneself. It is advisable to visit the village in the early morning or evening during the hottest months of summer.
Check the dates of the various festivals and try to time your visit with one of these celebrations.
Visit the Priests Mill and the Traditional House of Antimachia, Paaradosiako Spiti.
Explore the village and walk up the small path to see the castle.


  



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31.8.13

Afro-Jazziac

 
Machito
and
His Afro-Cuban Jazz Ensemble
With Flute To Boot
1958

Tracks:

A1. Brazilian Soft Shoe
A2. Love Chant
A3. Afro-Jazziac
A4. Ring A Levio
A5. Afternoon Death
A6. To Birdland And Hurry
       
B1. Calypso John
B2. The African Flute
B3. Bacao
B4. Carabunta
B5. The Davis Cup
B6. Answer Me

Featuring:

Herbie Mann (fl)
Johnny Griffin (ts)
Curtis Fuller (tb)
 
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.ღ•:*´♥`*:•ღ.

♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫
 

 

Machito - Biography


By Robert Leaver
 
Francisco Raúl Gutiérrez Grillo was born in the heart of Havana, Cuba where his father manufactured cigars. His musical talent was evident when as a mere child he sang and danced around the factory entertaining the workers. He became known by his nickname, Machito or “little macho,” as he sang and played maracas in various groups before relocating to New York City. By 1940 he was making his mark as a bandleader and throughout the 40s and 50s he would remain at the vanguard of Afro-Cuban jazz. He was instrumental in connecting the Latin and African-American musical realms; his group served as a bridge between Spanish and Black Harlem mixing jazz and Afro-Cuban musical elements. In doing so Machito & his Afro-Cubans changed both musical forms, forging them New York’s urban crucible into a new conception- Afro-Cuban or Latin jazz.
 
After singing and performing with Sexto Occidente de María Teresa Vera, Sexteto Agabama (singing harmony vocals with the great Abelardo Barroso), and Conjunto Los Jóvenes Rendención in Havana he was tapped to travel to New York City with La Estrella Cubana in 1937. His enthusiasm and ambition let him to gigs with various groups in New York including Conjunto Moderno, Cuarteto Caney and Orquesta Hatuey. He made his first recording as lead singer with pianist Noro Morales’ group and performed with the popular Pupi Campo. Machito formed his own group in 1939 with horn player, arranger and brother-in-law Mario Bauza who would continue as his principal musical director for decades. Their original configuration didn’t last and Machito joined Orquesta Siboney and recorded with Hollywood’s favorite Latin bandleader, Xavier Cugat.
 
Machito’s recordings with Cugat such as “Llora timbero,” “Cachita,” and “Bim Bam Bum” gave him a new level of popularity, perfect for launching his own group. Towards the end of 1940 he teamed up again with Bauza to create Machito & his Afro-Cubans. Modeled after swing orchestras with a large brass contingent of trumpets and saxophones they featured an expanded Afro-Cuban rhythm section. Their inaugural gig at Park Plaza Ballroom in New York on December 3, 1940 marked the beginning of a new era in Latin music. Machito and Bauza collectively would create a modern, sophisticated Latin big band sound that charged the swing of Ellington with a high-energy jolt of complex Afro-Cuban rhythms. The mixture would prove compelling to both aficionados of Jazz and Latin music and help break the music out of the barrio.
 
Steadily recording and releasing 78 r.p.m. Singles for Decca records, Machito and his Afrocubans had a huge hit in 1942 with “Sopa de pichón” (pigeon soup). The handsome and popular singer Miguelito Valdés joined the group that year and recorded a number of sides. The original Mr. Babalu, Valdés boosted the bands popularity and provided the model for the Desi Arnaz character on the television show I Love Lucy. The band continued despite Machito’s stint in the U.S. Army in 1943 as Puerto Rican singer Polito Galíndez, Cuban singer/composer Marcelino Guerra and Machito’s own sister Graciela took turns fronting the band.
 
During this time of war and change they began experimenting with different brass and reed alignments changing from the two trumpets, three sax lineup to two trombones, one trumpet and three saxes, mostly played by musicians from the jazz world. Combined with the Afro-Cuban rhythm section of piano, upright bass, conga, bongo and timbales and several harmonizing singers they unleashed a new musical force on the big apple. When Machito returned after his military duty was completed Graciela became a fixture by her brother’s side singing racy rumbas and romantic boleros.
 
They debuted the Mario Bauza composition “Tanga” (inspired by the African derived word for marijuana) in 1943 which musicologists now point to as the first distinct piece of music that one would call Afro-Cuban Jazz or Latin Jazz. Impresario Symphony Sid Torin coined the phrase “Cubop” to describe the sound. Bop luminaries such as Stan Kenton, Zoot Sims, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Howard McGhee, Herbie Mann, Buddy Rich, and Cannonball Adderley performed and recorded at various times with the group. The band kept busy performing in such famous venues as the Palladium and the Royal Roost and recording for numerous labels such as Decca, Roulette, Seeco, Verne, Crescendo, United Artists, and RCA Victor.
 
Tremendo Cumban 1949-1952 (Tumbao Spain 1991) compiles some of their timeless hits including “Donde Estabas Tú,” “Carambola,” “Blen Blen Blen,” “Mambo Inn,” “Si Si, No No,” and the title track. Another excellent compilation of late forties 78 r.p.m. recordings, Mucho Macho: Machito and his Afro-Cuban Salseros (Pablo 1978) showcases a variety of mambo variations; classics include “Asia Minor,” “U-Bla-Ba-Du,” “Donkey Serenade,” and a swinging version of W.C. Handy’s “St. Louis Blues.” In the ‘50s Machito would be instrumental in ushering in the golden era of Latin big bands and the mambo and cha cha cha crazes. Tunes such as “Chattanooga Cha Cha,” the Machito original “Relax and Mambo,” and “Mambo Infierno” marked the era; the LP compilation Machito plays mambo & cha cha (1956 Seeco) is commonly found in Latin music collections.
 
Long playing album releases such as Cha Cha Cha at the Palladium (1954 Tico), Asia Minor (1955 Tico), and The Sun Also Rises (1954 Tico) perfectly captured the spirit of the times. Kenya: Afro-Cuban Jazz (Roulette 1957, reissued as Latin Soul + Jazz, Tico 1973) is a dazzling recording that captures the vibrant acoustics of Pathé studios in East Harlem (which used to be the Odd Fellow’s Club). Great arrangements and ample jazz soloing capture the mambo era in full swing. The following year they released With Flute to Boot (1958 Roulette) featuring maestro flautist Herbie Mann. During this time when gang activity was rampant with the youth in New York the city called on Machito to perform a free concert in Central Park to quell the rising violence.
 
In the early ‘60s the band continued its relentless pace of gigging and recording. They released an excellent live recording, Machito at the Crescendo (GNP 1960), of mostly instrumental tunes such as “Pachanga at the crescendo,” “Cuban Fantasy,” and “Varsity Drag Combo” (whose inspiration is not as salacious as it may seem). The ‘60s ushered in the era of the violin and flute laden style of Latin dance called pachanga. Although Machito did not drop his monstrous brass section he brought in Panamanian flute wizard Mauricio Smith with The New Sound of Machito (Tico 1962). Iconic singer Miguelito Valdés returned to the fold briefly and they recorded Reunion (Tico 1963). The powerful vocals of his sister were front and center on the classic Esta Es Graciela or “This is Graciela” (Tico 1964); check out her version of the now standard “Guampampiro” The follow up album was entitled Sentimental and Intimate (Tico 1965) emphasizing the slower romantic bolero song form.
 
As the young Latin generation in New York turned to a more lean and gritty styles- boogaloo and salsa- Machito’s old style became a bit passé. In an effort to reach the youth he released Machito Goes Memphis (1967 RCA Victor) with Latinized versions of “In the Midnight Hour,” “Green Onions,” and oddly enough the Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction.” Mostly overlooked at the time it remains a strangely compelling musical document.
 
With the era of the Palladium and mambo long gone, Machito and his musical partner Mario Bauza reunited with jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie and arranger Chico O’Farrill to record what would become a textbook for many Latin jazz aficionados- Afro-Cuban Jazz Moods (Pablo/OJC 1975). After that Machito and Bauza ended their four decades of collaboration and Machito brought his sons into the fold. Fireworks (Coco 1977) featured a new young vocalist, Lalo Rodriguez, who later became a star of the “salsa romantica” movement of the ‘80s.
 
Machito and his Salsa Big Band (Timeless 1982) is an excellent live recording from the North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland that catches the band in full swing as they stretch out, in contrast to the more constrained and shorter studio recordings. It was honored with a Grammy for Latin Jazz that same year. Live at North Sea (Timeless 1982) and Machito !!! (Timeless 1983) followed, both of which featured legendary Cuban trumpeter Chocolate Armanteros. The following year while in London for an extended stint at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club he passed away on April 15, 1984. With a career that spanned an impossible seven decades Machito is one of the most iconic and influential figures in the history of Latin music. Moreover he influenced the course of American jazz and popular music while constructing the framework for a new genre- Afro-Cuban jazz.

text source 

Herbie Mann Wiki

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