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CD Review
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FLY Global Music Culture, CD Review >>
-by Joe Kent
In Cuba they have a stew called ‘agiaco’ into which anything can be incorporated, Revolucion is the musical equivalent. It mixes son Cubano, jazz, funk, Latin dance and reggae, it has tracks in both French and Spanish and owes as much to New York as Cuba.
While Revolucion is very much a contemporary Latin album, the vintage, all analogue recording gear of the Brooklyn Recording Studio where it was made adds a warm and familiar feel. Jose Conde, an American singer-song writer born to Cuban parents, has neither sought to remain true to his musical heritage nor to prove his ‘newness’ simply for the sake of it. The result is tracks such as the Japan inspired ‘Oshiri Pan Pan,’ and the soca come cumbia ‘Probando Nuevos Sabores’ — flitting easily between the Haitian sounds of ‘Pititi y Titi’ and the Puerto Rican bomba ‘Café con Sangre.’
Between them, the band Ola Fresca (New Wave) have played alongside a fair few of the major players in Latin music, (Ray Barretto, Toto La Momposina and Omara Portuondo among them), and the album features an impressive roster of guest stars. The 89 year-old trombonist, and one time Benny Moré director, Generoso Jiméenz guests on ‘Descarga Inez,’ Jimmy Bosch pops on a couple of tracks and Yerba Buena’s Pedrito Martínez can be found on ‘Ritmo Y Sabor’.
The album is a vibrant representation of the many faces of Latin New York. 05/29/07 >> go there
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