February 22 - Show #74

Theme: Chin chon chow – Louie Ramírez

Song-Artist-Album-Label

Chan chan – Compay Segundo – Buena Vista Social Club – Nonesuch/World Circuit

Candela – Ibrahim Ferrer, vocals; Faustino Oramas, composer – Buena Vista Social Club – Nonesuch/World Circuit

Alto Songo – Afro Cuban All Stars – Afro Cuban All Stars – Nonesuch/Warner

Patricia – Ry Cooder & Manuel Galbán – Mambo Sinuendo – Perro Verde/ Nonesuch/World
Circuit

Carmen cubana – Klazz Brothers & Cuba Percussion – Classic Meets Cuba – Sony Classical

A un perro flaco – Juan Perro – Raíces al Viento – BMG/Ariola

Manteca – Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo – Afro – Verve

Cubop city – Mario Bauzá & Howard McGhee and His Afro-Cubpoppers – Compilation The
Original Mambo Kings – Verve

Peter Gunn Mambo – Jack Costanzo & His Orchestra – Ultra Lounge-Mambo Fever – Capitol Records

El cumbanchero – Don Swan & His Orchestra – Ultra Lounge-Mambo Fever – Capitol Records

Way down yonder in New Orleans Mambo – Van Alexander & His Orchestra – Ultra Lounge-Mambo Fever – Capitol Records

Mambo #504 – Fredy Omar con su Banda – Desde Nueva Orleáns – Louisiana Red Hot Records

If I only had a brain – Kermit Ruffins – Happy Talk – Basin Street Records

If I only had a brain – Peter MacDonough – The Wizard of Oz-A Latin Jazz Suite for Soprano Saxophone – Self-produced: www.petermacdonough.com

Aikawarazusa – Hiroshi Takano – Sushi 3003 - A Spectacular Collection of Japanese Clubpop – Bungalow/Rough Trade Records

Kiss – Chiharu Iwamoto – Sushi 3003 - A Spectacular Collection of Japanese Clubpop – Bungalow/Rough Trade Records

Cannabis – Cornelius – Sushi 3003 - A Spectacular Collection of Japanese Clubpop –
Bungalow/Rough Trade Records

Samba de minha namoradinho – Calin with Fantastic Plastic Machine – Sushi 3003 - A Spectacular Collection of Japanese Clubpop – Bungalow/Rough Trade Records

Boy from Ipanema – Jumbo – Sushi 3003 - A Spectacular Collection of Japanese Clubpop – Bungalow/Rough Trade Records


Highlights of the show:

Latin Soul opened today with a modern classic in Cuban traditional music, and ended with a supermodern compilation from Japan. Despite distant geographically and stylistically, both share the spirit of this very program Latin Soul, bringing an approach to different ways to understand the whole generality of Latin music and its relationship to other genres.




Buena Vista Social Club came to light in 1997 and it has ever since the reference to traditional Cuban music since it came to the world attention the faded away style of “son”, which is pretty much a steady mellow and acoustic rhythm accompanying stories of love and whereabouts of peasants in the turn and beginning of the XIXth-XXth centuries. Back in the nineties, “Western” musicians dug dip in the archives and the living musical history in the island and found out those beautiful sounds, maybe some overlooked for the shine of the Cubop or Afro-Cuban jazz, or mambo, or the hype of funk/traditional in the latest years of XXth century. But, the “old trova” was still there, and guys like Santiago Auserón from Spain (from whom Latin Soul aired a tune tonight), or the musical archeologist Ry Cooder. Buena Vista Social Club is a production from the later, Ry Cooder, who took these tunes almost from forgotten and put them back in the music map again. Off this album, more new and individuals albums were released relaunching the careers of Compay Segundo, Ibrahim Ferrer, Omara Portuondo, Elíades Ochoa, Rubén González, or ‘Cachaíto’ López, who was one of the new breed in the group. Musically, all the songs are good and this album is worth while stopping what you do and just pay attention to its music and relax, or keep doing what you were doing, in a better mood, though.




“Sushi 3003 – A Spectacular Collection of Japanese Clubpop” is not really a Latin or Brazilian album at all. Compiled by Olaf Maikopf and released in 1996 by Rough Trade Records and distributed by Bungalow in Germany, it is a collection of pop tunes that are trying to promote Japanese electro-pop bands in Europe. Among all those, the avid sounds explorer may find that some of them show young Japanese musicians keen on Brazilian bossa and samba. You may find entertaining these electro/naïve pop reviews with a bossa tinge among other purely electro pop, like the tune by Pizzicato Five or Les 5-4-3-2-1; but especial attention is dedicated to artists approaching Brazilian/pop crossover such as Chiharu Iwamoto, Mari, Calin with Fantastic Plastic Machine, Cornelius; or Jumbo, who actually brings ‘The boy from Ipanema’. Japan pop is fun and bossa nova-like as well, and we’re ready for it!

February 15 - Show #73

Theme: Chin chon chow – Louie Ramírez

Song-Artist-Album-Label

Latin Soul – Ralfi Pagán – Compilation Playtime-Latin Soul Boogaloo – Hi & Fly Records

Latin thing – Benítez – Compilation Playtime-Latin Soul Boogaloo – Hi & Fly Records

Backlash – Freddie Hubbard – Compilation Latin Dance Party 1960’s Boogaloo Vol. 2 – Warner

Every Monday – Manteca – Tremendo Boogaloo – Freestyle Records

Ooh! Ah – Joe Cuba Sextet – Bustin’ Out – Tico Records

The honeydripper – Herbie Mann – Compilation Latin Dance Party 1960’s Boogaloo Vol. 2 – Warner

Come fly with me – Dave Valentin – Come Fly With Me – High Note Records

Milestones – Mark Weinstein – Timbasa – Jazzheads

A love supreme – Conrad Herwig – The Latin Side of John Coltrane – Astor Place Records

I remember Diz – Paquito D’Rivera & The United Nation Orchestra – A Night in Englewood – Messidor

A night in Tunisia – Hilton Ruiz – Live at Birdland – Candid

Jambo – Dizzy Gillespie – Jambo Caribe – Verve

The big idea – Phil Hawkins and his ensemble – Sugarcane Suite – P. Note Music

María Domingas – Gato Barbieri – Under Fire – Flying Dutchman/BMG Music

Te amo, I love you – Ely Guerra – Sweet & Sour, Hot Y Spicy – Higher Octave Music

Paloma – Asunción – Pacifika – Six Degrees Records

Bizcocho amargo – Si*Sé – Si*Sé – Luaka Bop

Negra – Nicomedes Santa Cruz/Jaime Cuadra – Cholo Soy 2 - Quadrasonic Ideas

February 8 - Show #72

Theme: Chin chon chow – Louie Ramírez

Song-Artist-Album-Label


Crazy lady – Mongo Santamaría – Fuego – Vaya/Fania

Tighten up – Al Escobar and his orchestra – Compilation Kool It - Soul, Funk & Jazz Go Latin – Harmless Recordings

La descarga del Bobo – Willie Bobo – Compilation Masters at Work present Latin Sounds – Verve

¿Qué pasa? – Irakere – Cuba Libre – Far Out Recordings

The opener – Latin Percussion Jazz Ensemble – Just Like Magic – Latin Percussion Inc.

Dirty old town – David Byrne – Rei Momo – Luaka Bop/Sire

Oink, oink mambo – Chuy Reyes & His Orchestra – Compilation Ultra-Lounge Mambo
Fever – Capitol Records

Mambo jambo (Qué rico el mambo) – Dave Barbour – Compilation Ultra-Lounge Mambo Fever – Capitol Records

Malambo #1 – Yma Sumac – Compilation Ultra-Lounge Mambo Fever – Capitol Records

Costa Caribe – Mambo Zombies – MZ3 – Self-produced album: www.mambozombies.com

Hippie tune (Song for Josh) – New Cool Collective – Soul Jazz Latin Flavours Nineties Vibe – Club 802 Records

Los Gatos – Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet – To Hear From There – Patois Records

Somewhere over the rainbow – Peter MacDonough – The Wizard of Oz-A Latin Jazz Suite for Soprano Saxophone – Self-produced album: www.petermacdonough.com

Summer samba – Walter Wanderley – Compilation Los Años Maravillosos del Brasil – EMIN/Wea

So danço samba (Jazz ‘n’ Samba) – Wanda da Sah – Ultra-Lounge Bossa Nova Ville – Capitol Records

Samba de Orpheus – Grant Green & Big John Patton & Ben Dixon – Iron City – 32. Jazz Records

Corcovado – Everything but the girl – Red Hot + Rio – Antilles/Verve

One note samba/Surfboard – Stereolab + Herbie Mann – Red Hot + Rio – Antilles/Verve

Sol tapado – Thievery Corporation – Compilation Sinners Lounge: The Latin Sessions – Comfort Sounds

Sai das Trevas – Jazzamor – Compilation Sinners Lounge: The Latin Sessions – Comfort Sounds