The Spanish Harlem Orchestra
United We Swing
CD
(Six Degrees 1134),
Released 2007;
Editor's Pick:
Oscar Hernandez’s beautiful creation cruises into its third album, United We Swing. And while there’s a sense of mission in the orchestra — to preserve the glories of what happened in New York and Puerto Rico in the late ‘60s and 70s — the music is so strong and so alive, that it hardly feels like a preservation project. As anyone who’s seen the orchestra live knows, this can be a vanguard type of experience, improvised, modern and fantastically heavy. On the record, that side’s pulled in, with the classical side of the band emphasized (though there’s plenty of slick harmony; check out Sonny Bravo’s arrangement of Willie Torres’ "Se Formo la Rumba", plus a new emphasis on pop coros, from the era. And check out the arrangements: on "En El Tiempo Del Palladium" Gil Lopez had the percussion slapping out rhythms in tandem, only to give way to a trumpet soloist, and then Marco Bermudez, who achieves a vocal quality that brings back images of Santitos Colón, Tito Puente’s singer. Speaking of singers Ray De La Paz is on the recording and he tears it up, his improvisations parting the sea of horns and percussion; Paul Simon, with whom Hernández worked on the much misunderstood and brilliant “The Capeman” shows up to sing his “Late in the Evening.” On tunes like “Salsa Pa’l Bailador” De La Paz sounds as if he’s singing a lament to lost love; in fact, he’s singing about dancers and the music — which makes sense, because in this world, that connection — between dancers and music — deserves the same weight, attention and power that love might have in other popular musics. It’s all profound, and if the world were in order, Hernández would get a McArthur grant to keep the orchestra going another few years.
Highly Recommended. (Peter Watrous, 2007-05-14)
Song titles include:
SHO Intro (Oscar Hernandez) 3:53
Llego La Orquesta (Gil Lopez) 6:02
En El Tiempo Del Palladium (Gil Lopez) 5:43
Se Formó La Rumba (Willie Torres) 5:33
Sacala Bailar (Oscar Hernandez) 6:11
Ahora Si (Georgio Montessino) 5:26
Que Bonito (Marco Bermudez) 5:23
Salsa Pa'l Bailador (Ray De La Paz) 4:36
Mujer Divina (Nick Jimenez) 5:30
Soy Candela (Johnny Ortiz) 5:17
Plena Con Sabor (Oscar Hernandez) 4:36
Danzon For My Father (Oscar Hernandez) 6:06
Late In The Evening / Tarde En La Noche (Paul Simon) 4:12
Musicians include:
Oscar Hernandez Leader, piano, musical director
Ray De La Paz Vocals
Wille Torres Vocals, maracas, güiro
Marco Bermudez Vocals
John Walsh Trumpet
Pete Nater Trumpet
Jimmy Bosch Trombone
Dan Reagan Trombone
Mitch Frohman Baritone sax, flute
Luisito Quintero Timbales
George Delgado Congas
Jorge Gonzalez Bongos
Héctor "Maximo" Rodriguez Bass
Héctor Colón Trumpet
Paul Simon Vocals on "Late in The Evening / Tarde en La Noche"
Category: Salsa/Son
=> Salsa
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