Sandbox salsa, cha cha cha, bolero, plena, bomba, Afro-Cuban rumba, cumbia, merengue, bachata, and reggaeton blog-like thread

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MG6pT9v_qZw

(This guy razalatinaPeru has good stuff.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDbR9UCEWBw

Liquid Liquid were drawing more from Brazilian music, I think. Anything "Latin" in their sound sound Brazilian to me.

Who is that playing piano with Barretto and Blades? He sounds good to me.

But Steve, in 1975 a lot of Blades's best work was still ahead of him (notably Siembra in 1978, with Willie Colon, but that's not the only example).

Amid Squeal of Trains at Times Square, Melody of a Store’s Rebirth

By WILLIAM NEUMAN, N.Y. Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/19/nyregion/19record.html?pagewanted=print

"....For nearly 40 years, Mr. Moskowitz had sold music — first records, then eight-track tapes, cassettes and CDs — out of a cramped, narrow shop perched above the BMT platform in the Times Square station (“Three customers and it was full,” Mr. Moskowitz joked). It became famous for its vast array of Latin sounds and as a gathering point that drew musicians and aficionados.

Now, in a newly renovated spot some 50 feet away, Mr. Moskowitz hopes to recapture some of that feeling.

“The store really represented the whole magic of New York,” recalled Harry Sepulveda, who was legendary in his own right as Record Mart’s longtime buyer and floor general.

Fans of the store invariably mention Mr. Sepulveda, who during close to 30 years there acted as teacher and guide, introducing hundreds of people to new musicians or styles of music. Where other stores would start and stop with Ricky Martin, he said, Record Mart would steer customers to classic bands like La Sonora Ponceña and great musicians like Ray Barretto.

“It was the real vibe of New York City, the real sound,” Mr. Sepulveda said. “That was the most important part, that’s what made the store so important. It really captured it. People went in there and said, ‘Wow, this is really what I’ve been looking for, this is really New York.’ ”

Mr. Sepulveda grew up among musicians and brought many into the store. He said musicians visiting the city for gigs stopped in — even from Cuba, where, he marveled, word of a little shop in the New York subway had spread. Collectors came from Japan, Europe, South America.

Mr. Sepulveda was so closely associated with the store in the minds of its customers that many of them referred to it as “Harry’s record shop,” Mr. Moskowitz said.

Mr. Sepulveda now works as a concert promoter and assembles compilation albums of Latin music. But Mr. Moskowitz said he hoped he could lure him back to the store, if only on a part-time basis.

“I think it would not be the same without him,” Mr. Moskowitz said."

I'm trying to figure out who Omega y Su Mambo Violente are. They've got a few youtube videos (and are coming to DC).

The main show Grammy Nominees:

Best Tropical Latin Album
Homenaje A Los Rumberos -Edwin Bonilla
[Sonic Projects Records].

The Last Mambo- Cachao
[Eventus/Sony Music Latin].

Mongorama -José Rizo's Mongorama
[Saungu Records].

Only 3 nominees for tropical while most categories have 5

39. Best Latin Pop, Rock, Or Urban Album

Entren Los Que Quieran -Calle 13
[Sony Music].

Entre La Ciudad Y El Mar -- Gustavo Galindo
[Surco/Universal Music Latino].

Nuestra-- La Vida Bohème
[Nacional Records].

Not So Commercial Los Amigos Invisibles
[Nacional Records].

Drama Y Luz--Maná
[Warner Music Mexico].

Calle 13 is from 2010...

Grammy calendar goes from some point in 2010, as the Edwin Bonilla is from October 2010

I finally remembered my pre-assigned nonsense password for the sandbox. It's refreshing to see no Gilberto Santa Rosa nominations in the tropical category. Three is slim, but perhaps the category deserves to on a diet right now considering how little there is to be enthusiastic about. The Bonillla album is respectable, but not something I'm too excited about. Don't know the other two.

No bachata nominations? Or did I miss something...

I had never heard of this guy:

Mexican-born producer Jose Rizo has been the Musical Director at KKJZ 88.1 FM (Kjazz) in Long Beach, California for quite some time now. In addition, Rizo has also been the producer and leader of the Jazz on the Latin Side All Stars big band for ten years which have released four critically-acclaimed albums. Mongorama is Rizo’s new nine-piece Latin Jazz ensemble which pays tribute to the legacy of conguero Mongo Santamaria. The self-titled album explores Santamaria’s early charanga-jazz material of the 50s and 60s featuring musicians with a direct connection to Santamaria and the sidemen appearing in his early recordings.

Was Maroon 5's "Move like Jagger" really the top pop song on Latin radio for much of the summer? I was reading a favorable review of the Romeo Santos album in the Washington Post and it said that a Santos song displaced "Move Like Jagger" from the chart. I don't like "Move like Jagger' and do not understand its apparent Latin audience popularity if that is true.

if i have to hear or read the words "move like jagger" one more time in this life it will be one too many

So I see google tells me there was a "Latin dubstep" remix of that song. Still probably won't change our minds on it.

I'm totally infatuated with David Murray Cuban Ensemble (important to credit the Ensemble, not only the maesto) Play Nat King Cole En Espanol(some of these songs are Portuguese too, maybe). According to the promo materials, King's original versions, replete with stiff phonetic phrasing of fluid melodies, were received with affectionate amusement by his Latin fans (re Airto Moreita on Brazilian response to Getz's bossa nova). But Cole and/or his producers chose songs of amazing potential--there's no sense of Murray imposing his own thing, and/or renovating from the ground up. Stuff, frequently new stuff, happens every second, with hyperactivity or claustrophobia. He likes to feature different sections of his Ensemble on diff subsets and recurring approaches--the horns don't ride your ass into the ground, the accordion doesn't perk you into terminal Stsrbucks. A Yoda-like tango singer pops up at just the right moments. Murray's sting arrangements alone are worth the price of admission.

with NO hyperactivity or claustrophobia, that is!

A Yoda-like tango singer pops up at just the right moments.
can this happen more in my life please?

and it's eh, David Murray Cuban Ensemble Plays, not Play etc-sorry

His string not sting arrangements

Stop proof-reading your post! I liked some of the French Caribbean things David Murray has done, but mostly for the French Caribbean folkloric side of things really. I've read that Nat King Cole was a major model for the great Cuban sonero Benny More. Incidentally, Cuban vocalist Issac Delgado, who defected to the U.S. in the past several years, put out a Nat King Cole tribute album last year or the year before or something like that. I can't say I really liked it much though.

Also, sorry but a Yoda like tango singer does not sound like something I want in my life at all.

i don't want to listen to Yoda sing so much as I want him or her to pop up at various moments.

Then you have to humor his singing!

From the NY Times re that Murray does Cole album:

On an early trip to Cuba Mr. Murray met the alto-saxophonist Román Filiu O’Reilly, now 39, who quickly concluded that “we were both drinking from the same well.” So when Mr. Murray decided to tackle the Nat King Cole project, Mr. Filiu, in addition to being offered the alto chair, was asked to assemble a group of young players who could keep up with Mr. Murray’s demanding arrangements.

“David’s way of playing is loose and free and always surprising, but he doesn’t lose the essence of Cuban music, and even if it may seem dissonant at times, it has its beauty,” Mr. Filiu said in a telephone interview. “His arrangement of a bolero or a cha-cha-cha can be daring and fresh, but the voicing of the instruments, the lines he writes for us to play, however challenging they may be, are perfectly in the tradition.”

The Cuban ensemble has toured with Mr. Murray throughout Europe and in Latin America, both before and after recording the “Nat King Cole en Español” CD in Buenos Aires last year, with strings overdubbed in Portugal. But with some restrictions on the ability of Cuban musicians to travel still in place in the United States and Cuba, Mr. Murray will be performing at the Skirball Center with a New York-based group that includes several Cuban musicians.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/17/arts/music/david-murray-on-his-new-nat-king-cole-album.html

so if i know absolutely nothing about current spanish-language rock but am enjoying the hell out of the new album by la santa cecilia, where's a good next step?

Good question. I will leave it to others here who might be familiar with that Los Angeles band.

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/aug/30/entertainment/la-et-santa-cecilia-20110830

I don't know about Spanish-language rock. unperson (or whatever his sandboxnym is) might be able to suggest something.

I guess unperson is not here right now

and where's fauxmarc

I just know old rock en espanol and pop stuff

My dad wants the new Poncho Sanchez with Terence Blanchard album: Chano y Dizzy. He likes straightforward Latin jazz

me too, kinda.

http://www.billboard.com/#/charts-year-end/top-latin-albums?year=2011&begin=1&order=position

When it comes to Latin rock, I really enjoy Omar Rodriguez-Lopez'z 2011 best-of-self collection, Telesterion. You can stream it and a ton of his other albums here:
http://omardigital.rodriguezlopezproductions.com/

Zechs Marquise,Omar's younger brothers' band, also has a 2011 album. Getting Paid. It's uneven, but worth checking out here:
http://zechsmarquise.bandcamp.com "> http://zechsmarquise.bandcamp.com

Weird. Use the second link.

http://latinbutcool.blogspot.com/2011/12/top-11-latin-but-cool-albums-of-2011.html

"Latin but cool" is kind of an annoying title but maybe there's a story to it.

So old man decided not to stay out late last night for the Maracuyeah dj collective end of the year event with guest NYC global tech/alt Latino dj Geko Jones (Que Bajo?! Dutty Artz ) + hometown djs: Bent (anthology of booty/africa is not a country); Mafe (maracuyeah); rAt (maracuyeah/anthology of booty); K La Rock & Brian Senyo (work the walls) all spinning Cumbiasalvaje, tribal guarachero, salsatronic, ochenteros, merengue ripiado, dancehall, y mucho mas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdNLyHRk_4Q

that reminds me, they played that one so-so recent eric rincon single at one of the gay mexican + colombian spots in queens - the music is usually mostly mexican cumbia, i think this is the first time i've heard tribal out

not latin-rock but re: omar rodriguez lopez, at the drive-in at st. andrew's church, college park md in 1999 was a defining show for me. they were opening for the get up kids and all of the guk fans pressed up front to secure their spots - once atdi's set started and everone started spazzing most of the guk people couldn't deal, gave up the front row and went to go wait the set out.

http://www.aarp.org/espanol/entretenimiento/expertos/info-12-2011/cd-musica-latina-top-10.html

http://garagemusic.com.mx/?p=1192

another top 10 list (translated by google)

Only in Brooklyn-- the Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra does salsa covers of TV on the Radio, Arcade Fire and other indie-rock acts

http://web.me.com/giannimano/Williamsburg_Salsa_Orchestra/Welcome.html

Not impressed with the vocals or percussion on the TVOTR cut but the horns are ok

http://web.me.com/giannimano/Williamsburg_Salsa_Orchestra/Welcome.html

I think the Celso Pina cumbia cd on the AARP Ernesto Lechner compiled list came out in 2010 (according to Amazon and 2009 according to Wiki)

This timba trumpeter/vocalist made his list also

Alexander Abreu y Havana D'Primera: Haciendo Historia
(Ahí-Namá)

so is that new Soundways cumbia comp gonna be on CD, or do I have to spend $65 on the 2 vinyl volumes to get it?

this one?

http://www.amazon.com/Original-Sound-Cumbia-Various-Artists/dp/B005ZLLY9K/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1324524390&sr=1-1

Not too crazy about the Celso Pina

Listening to Abreu's Cuban sounds on Spotify now. ok so far

I need to listen to Bio Ritmo's latest.

Just discovered Andres Landero through my wife, who's been listening to him on YouTube for a couple of weeks. I've downloaded two compilations - one's just called 16 Canciones and the other Grandes Cumbias - and they're both awesome, with only one duplicate track between them. His accordion style is really raw, and the rhythm behind him is super-primitive too; it's like the cumbia equivalent of Delta blues, low tech and totally potent.

La Lechera, here's some esoteric (to me anyway) Colombian stuff you might like:

http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/24633.10?eVEFw8jP;;438

Am I still a link? How did that happen?

???

Woo! 90s!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0Hz6ja2kH0

Despite the often horrific synth sounds, it's a great song.

Sorry to ignore cumbia talk, but not feeling all that in the mood for rootsy-cumbia at the moment (and I still don't know a whole lot about it, though I'm happy when cumbia attracts new listeners, in general).

i just saw this! will check out!
thanks for the cumbia christmas :)

WRTI streaming Christmas salsa (etc.):

http://www.wrti.org/listenlive.html

Select "All Jazz Web Stream."

etc. basically being other Puerto Rican Christmas music.

Mon Rivera skipping. You know, this has been released on CD at least a couple times. I know you love your vinyl and all, but maybe CD would be a better choice in this case.

He's actually playing some Latin Brothers (desde Colombia). Isn't that nice and ecumenical?

Incidentally, I know my new display name is not clever, but I could not get the idea out of my head, so I will keep it for a bit then kill it.

http://latinmusic.about.com/od/cdtoppicks/tp/The-Best-Latin-Music-Albums-Of-2011.htm?nl=1

Calle 13 is from 2010...

I like some of that Wisin y Yandel

This list seems to lean too heavily on the fact that these albums sold a lot. Most of this stuff is not all that good, imo. The Guatemalan alternative thing looks intriguing, but I dunno.

Those About.com lists are always predictable that way. Just haven't found anything else online that looks of interest.

I really think Tito Rodriguez was cooler than Tito Puente.

Great band leader and great (truly top notch) singer.

Did Rodriguez continue to play percussion over the years while singing and as a bandleader, or did he hire others?

Those 2 Titos were certainly rivals.

I need to google that