EditorsPick: Medellín, Colombia, checks in with some sizzling, highly caffeinated, Mambo-Salsa. Under the direction of Fernando Chica, llegó Big Band Mamborama, a band that will take no prisoners. Check out that version of "Fantasia Cubana" ...wild, wild stuff, chicky baby. Whoa, then there's that insane "Mambo Gallego." Remember that guy ...er, what's his name ...Tito PUENTE? Well, these guys take on a number of his compositions here. And Machito. And Tito Rodriguez. You get the idea, right? There's "Mambo Gozón" done here as if it were running on fire. And the vibes based "Mambo Diablo" is a dancer's dream track. Zero filler here, dude. This one is up in the pantheon of hip, modern, mambo recordings like the Big Three Palladium orchestra. It's a supreme live recording that makes you wish you were there. A hot one, folks. Very Highly Recommended. ... continues (BP)

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EditorsPick: "A long time ago I had the dream to put together a compilation like this. It is not a secret that Venezuela is the country with the highest salsa production in terms of the quality of the music. We can safely say, without exaggeration, that, in Venezuela, good musicians abound. Based on this, and witnessing its development, in my position as a music broadcaster, I dared to gather some of the best ensembles of the underground salsa circuit in this country ...and here they are Abriendo Caminos! Some of the great tunes included in this selection were never published in one album, making this compilation invaluable."
- Paz y Amor El Chino (Calí, Colombia)

Highly Recommended (BP) ... continues (BP)

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EditorsPick: Oomph! Here's a rockin' salsa straight out of Calí, the salsa nerve center of Colombia. Singer Danny Frank has surrounded himself with some top-pick talent, like Alberto Barros on trombone, trumpeters Dante Vargas and Ramon Benitez, bassist Alex Duque, pianists Pablo Grajales, Andy Guzman and Oscar Iván Lozano percussionist Douglas Guevara and others. Fiery arrangements make this one a no-brainer for you DJs out there. Get ready for your next party: summer's a-comin' folks. Salsa at it's sizzling best. Comes with bonus pista tracks and a PC video. But it's the tracks like the pristine "Menealo" that will put the caffeine in your coffee. Mmmm, good.
Very Highly Recommended. ... continues (BP)

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EditorsPick:
When I used to help out in London’s specialist Latin record store Mr Bongo, I occasionally selected customers for what I called the 'Mark Dimond test' to measure how much of a hardcore salsa fan they were. If their response was along the lines of: 'Wow! I’ve gotta have this CD,' then it gave me a clue about what other titles to recommend. Dimond’s recording career was shortlived but priceless - comprised of only a couple of albums with Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe’s debut LP, sessions on Ismael Quintana and Andy Harlow albums and three solo projects. 'Beethoven’s V' was his penultimate solo release, typified by his haunting, yet driving, two trombone/ one trumpet conjunto sound and exquisitely crafted piano solos. Dimond composed five songs and wrote all but one of the album’s tasty jazz inflected arrangements. Salsa music authority John Storm Roberts described him as a 'one of the finest younger generation pianists in salsa' in the UK’s Melody Maker in 1976. Shortly after this merited acclaim, according to several accounts, Dimond relocated to Florida, where he did not seem to be particularly active on the Latin recording scene. He sadly died in the late ’80s. ... continues (John Child)

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EditorsPick: Okay, folks. I got all excited when we got this one in. I was under the impression that it was a new release by my favorite salsa super-hero duo. However, upon closer inspection it is a reissue of the 2005 "Que Vuelva La Música" under a different name. Don't you fr@#in' hate that? Be that as it may, it is is a superb and highly explosive show. Below is my review from '95...

Yes, a *new* and, yes, explosive Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz salsa-boogaloo release that rocks. Produced by Diego Gale and features the core members of Supergroup Gale ...plus Edwin Clemente on timbales. Has all the earmarks of a RR & BC production, with over the top, almost operatic hooks, crescendos, and the fire that made the Bestial Sonido a staple for DJs and dancers worldwide. Yes, there's some shtick here, but it doesn't weaken the powerhouse force that these guys can generate. It's unabashedly salsa for the people.
Highly Recommended. ... continues (BP)

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EditorsPick: The brainchild of Pedrito Linares, La Negramenta of Venezuela begins with the building blocks of old school '70s and '80s salsa and then, well, the party just begins. Opening with "Banquita," a tongue-in-cheek number that pokes a little fun at the plethora of salsa tracks that revolve around that mythical "negrita." The arrangements of Willians Castillo and Willie Melo are fine offerings of Afro-Caribeño dance material. Check out "La Ley," the way cool Negramenta calling card. And Que "Nos Vaya Bien," with it's bari sax and trombone vibrato, will add further traction to a well trafficked dancefloor. All good stuff here. Recorded in Caracas, and Highly Recommended. ... continues (BP)

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EditorsPick: Now here's something totally cool: A Kako release that, to my knowledge, has *never* before been released to CD! Live it Up was a Musicor production, produced by our late old friend Al Santiago (of the Alegre All Stars fame) and became part of the West Side library. It's a dynamite '68 bugalú/shing-a-ling and descarga session with a lot of trombone funk, and terrific vocals by Azuquita and, on the title track, Bobby Marín. Great sound on this reissue. Unfortunately, no album credits, but good liners by Oliver Wang. I love the guajira track "Lo Que Sea." There's a swanky version of "Cool Jerk" too. A collector's Must-Have. Highly Recommended. ... continues (BP)

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EditorsPick: Veteran salsero Tito Nieves is back with a totally enjoyable, straight-ahead, salsa session interpreting compositions by Miguel Angel "Mike" Amadeo. Musically directed by Diego Gale (also on percussion here), the band also includes bassist Sergio Munera, pianist Julian Arias, trombonist Morist Jimenez and others. Nieves is backed by a coro section that features George Valencia, Carlos Llamosa, Charlie Andrade and Cristian Fernandez. It's all good, but do check out "Tuyo En Cuerpo Y Alma" - the jewel in the crown here. Highly Recommended. ... continues (BP)

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EditorsPick: This is one of the coolest cds I have heard recently. Don't expect this to be traditional cumbias. Nope. This is some RADICAL mambo-descarga-guajira-cumbia hybrid. And with that insane accordeon, it's a sound that, I'm guessing, you just haven't heard before. Get it. Now...

Some background:
Nestled between the Caribbean Sea and the Rio Magdalena, lies the city of Barranquilla. Hailed by its locals as Colombia’s “Puerto de Oro” or Golden Gate, Barranquilla has served as a gateway for “Caribbean Tropical Sounds” for almost a century. Home to the country's biggest cultural celebration, El Carnaval, and the birthplace of the radio and recording industry in Colombia, Barranquilla has always been a city deeply rooted in musical traditions. Its port-city status has allowed its citizens to remain up-to-date with the latest grooves coming out of the Caribbean basin; with scores of LPs arriving from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the United States; the city soon became a bastion for musicians and vinyl enthusiasts from all over the world.
Nobody embodies more Barranquilla’s rich musical heritage than the master accordionist Anibal Velasquez. Known affectionately by his fans as “El Mago” (the Magician), Anibal has been one of the most prolific musicians of Colombia’s Musica Tropical movement... ... continues (BP)

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EditorsPick: Fine Colombian salsa by singer Mauro Mosquera who has worked with with Grupo Niche, Galé and others. I like his style, equal measures of maturity and soul. This strong release features percussionists Douglas Guevara, Juan David Grajales, Jorge "Junior" Gaviria, Jaime "Jimmy" Gale, and Fernando "Chino" Gaviria. Also in for the session are pianists Pablo Grajales and Juan Diego Valencia, trombonists Ramon Benitez, Juan Pablo Valencia and Vladimir Hurtado, bassists Carlos Mora, Sergio Munera, Geovany Montoya, and Luis Ernesto "Kako" among others. Superb arrangements. Check out "Formula" and "Llegó El Amor." The real deal, and Highly Recommeded. ... continues (BP)

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EditorsPick: Spirited live salsa performance, at the Teatro Metropol in Bogotá, Colombia, by sexy singer Carolina La O. She takes on some fiery numbers like "Yo Soy La Rumba," "Juancho Trucupey" and the sizzling "Sopita En Botella." Top notch band led by Rene Alejandro Gutierrez. Listen to the trumpets scream on the infectious "Caramelo A Kilo." The DVD is a very high quality, big bucks production that will not disappoint.
Highly Recommended. ... continues (BP)

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EditorsPick: Romantic ballads with big orchestration is the idea behind A Time For Love, the new release by Cuban-born trumpeter Arturo Sandoval. Tracks like "Emily," "Speak Low," "Smile," "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" and more. Features a lush string orchestra and guest pianist Kenny Barron and singer Monica Mancini. This is nothing but bliss. Boy, do I like this one. Am I getting old or what? Highly Recommended. ... continues (BP)

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EditorsPick: This has two original Lou Perez albums on one cd: Bon Bon de Chocolate and Para La Fiesta Voy. The music is amazing (see John Child's review of Bon Bon below. But, warning: the cd itself, although properly liscensed (checked into it myself), looks sort of "low-budget" so to speak. Get past that and you have some incredible tracks here:
**Classics Revisited** Bandleader, flutist, composer and arranger Lou Perez died from injuries sustained in a car accident in New York City on May 27th, 2005. Seventy seven years old at the time of his death, Lou is best know for his composition "De Todo Un Poco", which was used in the movie Dirty Dancing and originally came from his 1977 album De Todo Un Poco / A Little Bit Of Everything on Tico. During the height of the 1960-1964 charanga/pachanga craze he led his own flute, strings, rhythm section and voices charanga band on two best-selling early '60s LPs on Ajay: Para La Fiesta Voy (1961) and the significant African hit Bon Bon de Chocolate!, both reissued on Montuno in 1992. I've selected the latter, on which Lou played piano, composed, arranged and conducted, Bobby Nelson played flute and Rudy Calzado provided co-lead vocals with Goody Osvaldo. In addition to the title track, standout cuts include "No Me Toques Ese Punto" and "Descarga Potpourri No. 2", the gem of the date with Ray Mantilla on güiro and conga. Lou continued to work mainly in the charanga format, clocking-up at least another nine albums. Recommended. ... continues (BP)

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EditorsPick: On Second Chance, his second Zoho release, Colombian-born, New York domiciled pianist Hector Martignon presents his current, hot young Latin jazz quintet, with special guests Edmar Castaneda on Colombian harp, John Walsh on trumpet, and Vinny Valentino on guitar. In an exciting program of 6 Martignon originals and 4 North and South American standards, Martignon confirms his eminent position as one of the most sought-after pianists on the Latin jazz scene. He's toured with Mongo Santamaría, Gato Barbieri, Steve Turre, Tito Puente, Mario Bauzá, Chico O’Farrill, Paquito D’Rivera, and Max Roach.
[from the label's website]
With bassists Armando Gola and Edward Perez, drummer Ludwig Afonso, John Walsh on trumpet and flugelhorn, vibes player Tim Collins and others. ... continues (BP)

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EditorsPick: What a great Costa Rican band this is. I loved their previous release (the now very hard to find Pa' Los Pies - Salsa Dura), and this one is equally powerful. As the title suggests, pianist/director Walter Flores and the boys pay homage to iconic, classic, salsa compositions like "Sonero Mayor" (Willie Colon), "Anacaona" (Tite Curet), "Mama Guela" (Cindy Rodriguez), "Indestructible" (Ray Barreto) and a bunch more. There are a couple of mozaicos that would be certain dance club magic. Get it before it, too, disappears. Highly Recommended. ... continues (BP)

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EditorsPick: It's called Salsa Perfecta and a better name would be hard to find. Victor Hugo, one of our favorite salseros, has produced a terrific danceclub salsa release that seems fresh with each listen. Hugo's voice is better than ever, with a quality that conveys strength and experience. His band, with former members of Grupo Niche, is refined and crisp. They are trombonists Carlos Latoche and Bernardo Aguirre, trumpeters Luis Bravo and Oswaldo Ospino, sax player Lucho Blanco, percussionists Alexandra Camacho and Diego (Zorro) Camacho, pianists Julio Cortes, Carlos (Piolin) Humberto and Hector Aguirre, a there's a super power-coro with Alvaro Granobles and Diego Galindo. All tracks composed by Mr. Hugo. Check out the gems "Que Sera," "Vaca Negra" and "Piano Man."
DJ Alert: Highly Recommended. ... continues (BP)

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EditorsPick: What is salsa? The answer can be found in Solar Latin Club, Vol. 2, the new selection of international salsa and Afro-Latin sabor by Colombia's DJ El Chino. One of the best compilations I have come across, the CD features music from some bands that have not had proper exposure, at least here in the US. Orquesta Coimbre (Colombia) kicks off the playlist with "Salsa De Barrio" with perfect use of fuzz-tone electric guitar, something not typically associated with salsa. Calibre Orquesta, also from Colombia offers their take on gritty, old school con sabor. The band La Descarga (hmmm... nice name), from Norway, dishes out "Descongélate," and Italy's Batistococo's "Descarga De Boulez" is a jam session that shouldn't be missed. Guatemala's Fito Garcia's sparse and essential "Tu Tienes" is a highlight here. The cd also includes "Fango" by Angel Lebron, a Bronx native who cut his teeth on Fania, Libre and other New York classic salsa. And, all the way from Iceland, comes one of the coolest tracks (no pun intended), "Alls Óvænt," by bassist and composer Tomas Einarsson. It's almost as haunting as it is lush and beautiful in it's delivery. Germany's David Lenis and Sandra Hueselbus' "Wonderful Life" is a gorgeous chachachá that begins in English and morphs into Spanish and make me want to hear more, a lot more, from these people. It's *that* good. There's a lot more to like here: Ok, folks, this one here is a big DJ Alert and...
Very Highly Recommended. ... continues (BP)

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EditorsPick: The venerable Puerto Rican dance band is back with a killer release that is nothing but pure salsa pleasure. Musical director Rafael Ithier still has the magic, and makes unpretentious, fiery, and finely crafted dance numbers the norm. Seasoned singers Charlie Aponte, Jerry Rivas and Papo Rosario sound better than ever. Listen to the cover track "Sin Salsa No Hay Paraíso," and "La Espuma Y La Ola," and their pristine remake of the classic "Achilipú." This is Salsa, folks.
Very Highly Recommended. ... continues (BP)

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