David Ma from the excellent NERDTORIOUS blog invited me to do a guestspot, and I agreed without hesitation. So many wonderful posts running the gamut from interviews with hip hop legends to spots on new local music. I’ve been enjoying his blog ever since I discovered it and I hope you do to.
Here’s a fiery new cumbia from Colombia leading up to the weekend! Systema Solar is easily one of the most exciting acts at SXSW this year.
Check out their website: www.systemasolar.com
This week we have an interesting LP from Florida: Sincerely Antique. Miami’s token Latin Rock band a la Santana, Antique (aka The Antiques) were a popular regional act that also explored the heavy psych and funk sounds prevalent at the time. The main draw of this LP (at least for me) is their epic version of the sure-shot Laura Lee classic “Crumbs Off the Table”. Pounding Latin percussion and heavy organ make this version their own, while lead vocalist Eddy Diaz belts out the man’s side to Laura Lee’s story.
On “Batuka”, a Santana original from their III album, the band covers new ground and play the already-sparse track rawer and funkier than Carlos and his crew ever could. (A quick aside: In a nod to Santana’s legendary use of Tito Puente’s “Oye Como Va”, Puente himself covered “Batuka” on his 1972 album Para Los Rumberos.) Antique credit the song to Tito on the LP’s back cover, as it turns out.
Lastly, I wanted to include “Taboo” here, as I rarely post any mellow goodness. Overall a cool LP from a local Miami scene I’m becoming increasingly interested with. Judging from the front and back cover, it looks like they had plenty of fun making it! The band have one other LP on Funny (Antique Sorcery) plus an earlier one on Audio Latino. Both are pretty sick and worth tracking down if you can find them.
Expect new and exciting things here at Musica Del Alma in the coming weeks!
Antique: “Crumbs Off The Table”, “Batuka”, + “Taboo”
Taken from the Sincerely Antique LP (Funny, 502, 1973)
Hey everyone, make sure to check out Sonido Franko’s blog Super Sonido, where I have a guest post! Sonido Franko and friends are posting up a hot 45 everyday for the rest of February, head over there ASAP and support!
In anticipation of a new Heavy Latin Funk Mix that I will be releasing soon, I offer you a quick taste of what lays in store for that release. The first song here will be prominently featured in the mix along with 60 minutes of some of the world’s rarest and heaviest Latin Funk jams. Please stay tuned!
Here’s an excellent LP from Venezuela featuring Los Kenya, a popular Latin combo hailing from the coastal region of that country. Fronting the group was Ray Perez, a charismatic pianist and vocalist who also led the amazing Los Dementes. Click here to check out an excellent interview of Ray Perez by Roberto Ernesto Gyemant.
What originally attracted me to the LP was the track “Esa Mujer”, a frenetic combination of piano & horns atop funky Latin breakbeats. The song is termed a “Guajira Surf” on the LP’s back cover, and is about the coolest Latin song description I’ve come across. However, the raw boogaloo funk rhythms emanating from this track argue for a different title entirely!
But wait, this album has something else in store for the unsuspecting pair of ears. Beginning with a corny piano refrain, the monster “Al Trigueño” soon shoots off into the realm of jazzy salsa bliss; just the right environment for Señor Perez and his 88 keys to shine. The shear mastery of the Salsa being played on this track sons just about anything coming from New York City in this period, and strongly signifies the true salsa capital of the world resides further South! It builds up into an epic explosion of rhythm and horns that has far outweighed much of the music I have come across recently.
LOS KENYA: “Esa Mujer” & “Al Trigueño”
From the Volumen 2 LP (Discomoda, Colombia, 197?)
In light of the horribly destructive earthquake in Haiti this past Tuesday, two music/record-related online discussion forums are offering places to auction off rare records for donation to charitable causes doing relief work in Haiti.
The first one is going on at SOULSTRUT:
CLICK HERE FOR HEATROCKS FOR HAITI ON SOULSTRUT
And a second is going on at Waxidermy:
CLICK HERE FOR HEATROCKS FOR HAITI ON WAXIDERMY
Check them out and contribute something for auction if you can, or just place bids on something that looks cool. There is some serious heat being auctioned off, people!
Just in time for 2010, Los Johnny Jets urge y’all to tighten yourself up for the new year with a raw and fantastic cover of the Archie Bell and the Drells classic. Coming from the seemingly endless vault of Mexican covers of popular American soul and funk songs from the 1960s and 70s, most of which are quite forgettable IMO, “Apretado (Tighten Up)” relishes in its own grittiness. Bass, drums, guitar and hand claps are all this garage-styled monster needs to hold its own (and get your new year started off on the right foot!).
Shouldn’t be too hard to grab an affordable copy of this LP with enough patience.
Los Johnny Jets: “Apretado (Tighten Up)”
From the La Minifalda de Reynalda LP (Harmony, 1968)
Joining us again is Reynaldo, who today supplies us with a killer mix of Pachanga, Charanga, & Guaguanco to keep you dancing through the winter! Rey runs two of the finest Latin music/record sites online: the Latin Vinyl Junkie blog and his own Rare Latin record gallery.
-Adam
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LVJ Guaguanco, Pachanga, and Charanga Mix (LISTEN / DOWNLOAD)
I’m constantly on the hunt for Latin records/music to add to my collection, to post on my blog, or just to listen to and enjoy. When I hear a track that really catches my ear, I add it to my playlist of recent discoveries, and when the list gets to about thirty tracks, I whittle it down and sequence the songs until a coherent theme emerges. Then I can put together a solid mix such as this one, which consists of up-tempo pachanga, charanga, and guaguanco songs. My favorites from this mix are “Treinta Kilos” by Johnny Pacheco, and the two Charlie Palmieri & La Duboney cuts, “Pon Pon Pachanga” and “Tema De La Duboney,” which features Johnny Pacheco. Enjoy!
-Reynaldo
01. “Tema De La Duboney” – Charlie Palmieri & The Duboney Orchestra
02. “Treinta Kilos” – Johnny Pacheco
03. “Margie” – Ray Barretto
04. “El Pega Joso” – Antonio (Chocolate) Diaz Mena & His Orchestra
05. “Vivir La Vida Ortra Vez” – Orquesta Colon
06. “Yo Tengo Un Guia” – Los Nuevos Dementes
07. “Domino” – Rafael Cortijo Y Su Bonche
08. “La Calle Diez” – Sexteto Juventud
09. “Para Los Bravos” – La Tropicana De Eldy Tor
10. “Afro Breed” – Phil Moore III & the Afro-Latin Soultet
11. “Afro Revolt” – Afro Soul-Tet
12. “Peanut Vendor” – Jack Costanzo
13. “Sza, Sza, Ole” – Modesto’s Charanga Kings ft. Olguita
14. “Amalia Bataista” – Pete Terrace
15. “Tosca Pachanga” – Charles Fox & His Charanga
16. “Pon Pon Pachanga” – Charlie Palmieri and his Charanga “La Duboney”
17. “Pachanga En Katanga” – Mon Rivera
18. “Tony’s Cha Cha Cha” – Pete Terrace
…with some Cuban Funk Fire! Sorry for the delay, but here we go again with a bangin LP on the Areito label. FA-5 have many things to offer on this LP: dirty takes on American Funk and Disco songs, heavy b-boy breaks (you’ll have to track the album down to see what I mean), and some straight-up tight musicianship. Check out their song “Salga y Baile”, which is a loose rendition of Kool and the Gang’s nasty funk classic, “Jungle Boogie” (well at least those horns sound like it to me!).
“Paso Sin Mas” is a quintessential Cuban Funk song but features some heavy guitar and a killer keyboard a la Ricardo Marrero. Lastly, there’s a break-heavy version of The Commodores’ “Brick House” on here that I figured I’d pass on. Cheesy? YES. Bangin? HELLS YES.
You have to appreciate the production quality on this joint, as with many Cuban LPs on the Areito label that emerged from groups fostered at Fidel Castro’s music schools in Havana and elsewhere. The state funding coming into these schools gave many musicians the chance to explore and experiment with Afro Cuban, Funk, Jazz, and Caribbean sounds in a groundbreaking way that still does not get the full attention it deserves. Check out these compilations of Cuban Music for more (if you haven’t already).
FA-5: “Salga y Baile”, “Pasos Sin Mas”, & “Casa Del Ladrillo (Brick House)”
From the S/T LP (Areito, 1976)
So it’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Panamanian music, and this week we have one of the best combos out of the country doing their own thing with both originals and covers. I’ve had this album for ages, but I get more enjoyment from it with every listen. Check it out to hear why.
“Puerto Rico”, originally an Eddie Palmieri tune from his shit-hot album Sentido, starts the album off on a mellow tip, but slowly builds into one of the finest Salsa tracks I’ve heard. The guitar, a predominant instrument in most musical forms coming out of Panama, is the real star of the show here: taking the place of Palmieri’s keys, the guitarist guides the song through intense horn lines and deep breakdowns alike. Love this one to death!
“Let Me Do My Thing”, featured on the first Panama! comp, is easily one of the top 5 funk/soul songs from the isthmus. If not familiar already, do yourself a favor and git fam!
“Say Amor” is like a super chilled-out & mellow version of “Tighten-Up”, with an odd drum track that sounds almost like a drum machine at times. Again, the guitar and horn combo cannot be beat!
The last song on the album is “Morning”, a killer Latin Jazz staple as done by Cal Tjader and others. While the vocalist isn’t quite my style, I can definitely vibe-out to this with ease.
Los Dinamicos Exciters: “Puerto Rico”, “Let Me Do My Thing”, “Say Amor”, & “Morning”
From the Lo Mejor De Los Dinamicos EXCITERS LP (Discos Jacher, Panama, 197?)
