November 10 - Show #33

Theme song: Chin chon chow – Louie Ramírez

Song-Artist-Album-Label

Woody’n you – Sabu & Dizzy Gillespie – Jazz Espagnole – Vampisoul

Manteca – Dizzy Gillespie and His Orchestra – Afro – Verve

Zambia – Mario Bauzá – Messidor’s Finest Volume One – Messidor

Tanga – Machito and His Afro-Cuban Orchestra – The Original Mambo Kings-An introduction to Afro-Cubop 1948-1954 – Verve

Mambo caliente – Arturo Sandoval – The Mambo Kings Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Elektra/Warner

The anything can happen mambo – Xavier Cugat with Abbe Lane – The Original Latin Dance King – Sony

Baby – Dave Pike and His Orchestra – Manhattan Latin – DECCA

Polly’s delight – Juan Amalbert’s Latin Jazz Quintet – Hot Sauce – Prestige

Los bandidos – Cal Tjader – Along Comes Cal – Verve

Work song – Vince Guaraldi – The Latin Side Of – Fantasy Records/OJC

El toro – Gabor Szabo – From Latin to Jazz Dance Vol. 5 – Rare Groove Recordings

Cabato – Buck Clarke Sound – From Latin to Jazz Dance Vol. 5 – Rare Groove Recordings

Aguanile – Irakere – The Best Of – Sony

Modo cubano – Paquito D’Rivera & The United Nation Orchestra – A Night In Englewood –Messidor

Rhapsody in blue – Chucho Valdés – Briyumba Palo Congo-Religion of the Congo – Blue Note

Se me hizo fácil – Concha Buika con Chucho Valdés – El Último Trago – Warner Music Spain

Luz de luna – Concha Buika con Chucho Valdés – El Último Trago – Warner Music Spain

Me embrujaste – Martirio & Chano Domínguez – Acoplados – RTVE Música


Highlights of the show:
Latin Soul aired tonight the latest album by Concha Buika, accompanied by Chucho Valdés at the piano. Together with this, another Chucho Valdés tune has been a great moment in the show tonight.



“El último trago” is an album made to let a crossover happen between two styles of two great professionals of music today: Concha Buika and Chucho Valdés. She is the last sensation of new flamenco in Spain today despite her short career, or at least the few released albums she has. She has had a singing career, though, as long as she can remember. She brings together musical and ethnic traditions apart in a beginning. Of African origin -born and raised in Mallorca, Spain from family native to the old Spain colony of Equatorial Guinea- she has fusioned her African roots with Flamenco, the musical expression of the Gypsy people in Spain. Her hoarse voice is here accompanied by the crystalline piano sound of Chucho Valdés, the renowned Afro-Cuban pianist, main world figure of Latin jazz nowadays. Out of this duo, this album inevitably would be bringing together an exploration of copla (traditional popular song in steady verses and stanzas in Spain), bolero, vocal jazz flamenco like. An overall lineup of genres joined under Ms. Buika versatility singing style reviewing popular and well famed compositions as 'En el último trago', 'Se me hizo fácil', 'Un mundo raro', 'El andariego', and so all the songs in the album could follow. Not a bad song at all, and a great sequencing of them, makes this album a top notch of Latin international piano jazz vocals.



“Briyumba Palo Congo-Religion of the Congo” is Chucho Valdés 1999 album released by Blue Note. A landmark figure in Latin jazz musical scene whose career officially started back in 1967 when he formed the Orquesta Cubana de Musica Moderna. Later, in 1972 he founded the renowned Latin jazz and soul cutting-edge band Irakere, being awarded a Grammy in 1979. Mr. Valdés, though, has probably been always joined to music, especially to piano, the instrument he can be considered a virtuoso of: Chucho Valdés is son of Bebo Valdés, the famed piano player and former director of Tropicana, the legendary night club in Havana, Cuba. It´s very likely that Chucho Valdés career started when he started as long as he can remember. After leading Irakere for around ten years, he started a remarkable solo career at times, or with his band Crisol, or with collaborations with Roy Hargrove. This album here commented is a gem of Latin jazz and it is truly recommended if you dig the crossover between piano jazz and Afro-Cuban sounds. From beginning to end you are going to feel a constant uptempo pace in the tunes exploring traditional spiritual Cuban tunes thanks to the three percussionist backing his know-how on piano. In contrast, you will enjoy jazz ballads where Mr. Valdés pays tribute to Duke Ellington and George Gershwin as in the themes 'Caravan', 'Embraceable you', or 'Rhapsody in blue', which is given a wonderful Afro-Cuban jazz rendition. As said above, a truly gem of Latin jazz heavily supported by the raw percussion of Afro-Cuban traditional music.