|
|
 |
Feature
|
| Click Here to go back. |
The Beat, Feature >>
TECHNOBEAT
Leopard and Chameleons
BY BOB TARTE
Some bands play ska, some do cumbia, and others take a stab at Cuban music. Those that try to master the whole pan-Caribbean omelet usually end up with egg on their faces. Not so Ska Cubano, the London-based ensemble whose borrowings on Ay Caramba! (Cumbancha) sound firsthand, because the band goes right to the source. From Santiago de Cuba, Beny Billy brings classic pipes recalling the glory days of Latin big-band vocalists, plus a plucky ires expertise. Meanwhile, South London ska alumnus Natty Bo emotes the Jamaican material with hitch and a quiver in his voice reminiscent of Golden Age stylists like Johnny Clarke. Also onboard are veteran Jamaican trumpeter Eddy 'Tan Tan" Thornton and Cuban bass player Ray Crespo.
These chameleons don't just change their spots from song to song. They constantly combine styles, taking us deep into ska territory with the clanging chords and trombone swoops that open "Tabu." But Billy's huge sonero voice and the chugging mambo horns transform the cut into, well, ska cubano. The double entendre-laden "Big Bamboo" plants its 1940s calypso roots in fertile ska soil, then adds campesino horns to the amalgam. While most of the cuts have a strong novelty song compo a comic vocal here, out-of-sync reeds they don't grow wearisome after repeated listenings. That's because the clever arrangements go light on the out-and-out gimmickry and lean on good vibes instead.
The performances are so hot that when I fired up the disc I nearly melted CC Smith's cd player. That's impressive, considering that I live in Michigan, while The Sear's dreaditor lives in California. Even better, "Tabu," "Soy Campesino," and "Cachita" feel as if I've been hearing them for years, and I guess have, since they're decades-old classics that the band freshens up with rough-and-tumble arrangements. This is one of the most fun platters that I've heard in years, and it makes even a party- pooper like me want to party. 08/01/06
|
| Click Here to go back. |
|
 |
|
|
|
