Omara Portuondo - Mariposas

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:54
Size: 93,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:52)  1. Esto Sí Que Sabe a Cuba
(4:21)  2. Mariposas Blancas
(3:59)  3. Enamorada
(3:45)  4. En Tu Ausencia
(3:59)  5. De Luz
(3:52)  6. Libre
(3:57)  7. Viento de Paz
(4:34)  8. Volver
(3:44)  9. Gracias Doy
(3:47) 10. El Día Feliz

At 89 years old, the Cuban singer Omara Portuondo never ceases to amaze the world. Not only has she been active on social networks doing live concerts , but she recently released a new album in digital format licensed by Bis Music: Butterflies.  With 10 songs composed by the young singer-songwriter Jessee Suárez, the new album includes rhythms traditionally addressed by Omara, such as bolero, son and ballad. However, she is not satisfied with it. The diva of the Buena Vista Social Club goes further and winks at other Latin styles such as cumbia, salsa, and ballenato. As a “bonus”, Mariposas includes a special arrangement of the theme “El día feliz”, composed by Silvio Rodríguez. In addition to a collaboration between her and Jessee Suárez on the subject "Libre". In his thanks to the Bis Music label, Omara Portuondo commented: "I hope that the public will like it, making this album have both a national and global reach." Omara Portuondo is recognized worldwide for her performances in genres such as son and bolero, as well as being one of the greatest representatives of feeling . In fact, she is known as "the girlfriend of feeling" and "the diva of the Buena Vista Social Club", an emblematic group of Cuban music.Omara's new album, Mariposas , is part of a series of online releases by the Bis Music label amid social isolation by the coronavirus. Translate by Google https://www.cubatel.com/blog/farandula/omara-portuondo-estrena-nuevo-disco-mariposas/

Mariposas

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Don Byron & Aruan Ortiz - Random Dances And (A)tonalities

Size: 128,2 MB
Time: 55:31
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Contemporary Jazz
Art: Front

01. Tete's Blues (6:37)
02. Black And Tan Fantasy (5:38)
03. Musica Callada Book 1, V. ([M.M.] Crochet = 54) (6:53)
04. Joe Btfsplk (5:45)
05. Numbers (6:04)
06. Dolphy's Dance (4:11)
07. Violin Partita No. 1 In B Minor, Bwv 1002 Ii. Double (2:43)
08. Delphian Nuptials (4:35)
09. Arabesques Of A Geometrical Rose (Spring) (7:11)
10. Impressions On A Golden Theme (5:55)

Ortiz, who grew up in Santiago, Cuba, and has lived in the U. S. since 2002, is among the most creative pianists on jazz’s landscape. As a boy he was performing Cuban popular music. His studies broadened to include jazz, first in Europe, finally New York, where he now lives.
In Byron, Ortiz has found an unparalleled clarinetist, whose classical training and exquisite technique anchor a career spanning an unusually broad range of music that nevertheless reflects a focused line of musical inquiry. Byron was born in The Bronx, into a musical family of Antiguan descent. Some of his work has involved highly refined repertory ensembles devoted to early jazz, gospel or klezmer music. Other works assert unfettered new musical routes owing to no one style.
"Random Dances and (A)tonalities" reveals the imaginative leaps of two free-thinking minds. In both, we feel an implied swing, gentle yet with conviction, and shared values of erudition and compassion. We sense a clearly documented moment between two masterly musicians. ~by Larry Blumenfeld

Random Dances And (A)tonalities

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Gonzalo Rubalcaba - Rapsodia

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:41
Size: 128,0 MB
Art: Front

( 6:41)  1. Contagio
( 9:46)  2. Circuito II
( 9:08)  3. Tributo
( 4:45)  4. Santo Canto (Holly Chant)
( 6:39)  5. Moose The Mooche
( 7:27)  6. Chancletera
(10:11)  7. Rapsodia Cubana

Pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba has such impressive technique that he has the potential of completely overwhelming any song he plays but Rubalcaba shows admirable restraint throughout much of this quartet date. Influenced to a degree by Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock, Rubalcaba still shows a fresh personality when he utilizes an electric keyboard on a few of the selections. His quartet (which includes trumpeter Reynaldo Melian, bassist Felipe Cabrera and drummer Julio Barreto), in addition to fine support, offers a contrasting solo voice in its virtuosic trumpeter. This is a well-rounded set of complex but fairly accessible music.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/rapsodia-mw0000111676

Personnel:  Gonzalo Rubalcaba (Piano);  Felipe Cabrera (Bass);  Julio Barreto (Drums);  Reynaldo Melian (Trumpet)

Rapsodia

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Cuban Jazz Train - Como Suena

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:22
Size: 110.7 MB
Styles: Afro-Cuban jazz
Year: 2018
Art: Front

[3:45] 1. A Mi Aire
[3:33] 2. Sincopatres
[3:47] 3. Como Suena
[6:29] 4. Manteca
[5:15] 5. Why Am I Here
[4:23] 6. School Memories
[4:34] 7. Ill Tell You
[7:01] 8. Blue South
[5:45] 9. Descarga
[3:45] 10. Danza Naniga

Calixto Oviedo: production, drums, congas, güiro, timbales and chekere (1, 3, 6, 8, 9 & 10); Yosmel Montejo: production and bass; Joel Nuñez: saxophone (1 – 6 & 9); Christian Moraga: congas (2, 4, 6 & 7); Nathaniel Molina: piano (2 – 5, 9 & 10); Alex Rivas: piano (1, 6 – 8); Lily Hernandez: vocals (10); Rachel López: flute (1); Yosiel Pérez: trumpet (3); Richard Velzen: trombone (8).

This is exactly how you would expect Afro-Cuban music to sound in this day and age; romantic but without an ounce of sentimentality, which, sadly, is the road that many Latin American artists go down. Either that or they try and reinvent the idiom, both of which seem to dilute the tradition to the extent that it turns into something not remotely like what it was intended to sound like. There is, however, nothing wrong with making the music danceable, but when the musicians (and I shall not name names) get too cute.

Cuban Jazz Train - Como Suena featuring Calixto Oviedo Cuban Jazz Train, as the short note suggests, attempts to redefine the relationship between the Afro-Cuban idiom and its doppelgänger – Jazz. Both come from the same root, and both are born of African polyrhythm. One is Spanish-inflected and the other is blues-inflected. And when you combine the two you get almost the same result. So in the hypothesis of Cuban Jazz Train, the musics are contiguous. While this may be so, the clave of Afro-Cuban music makes it distinct from the altered fifths of Jazz. And yet it can be – magically – combined to make both musics stronger. Even the AACM found this to be so when Art “Turk” Burton melded his congas with Henry Threadgill and the other musicians of that forward-thinking group of musicians.

The rhythm of the cha-cha-cha, the guaguancó and the danzón is ever present in this record which swings in clave and vice-versa. One has only to imbibe the music of “Manteca” to feel this uniqueness, this rhythmic crossover and bask in the ingenuity of this production that is shared between the men who make it happen, primarily Calixto Oviedo and Yosmel Montejo. This is an intelligent re-imagining of a song which brilliant rhythms were invented by the great Chano Pozo and realised by the ingenuity of Dizzy Gillespie. However this version by the Cuban Jazz Train, although leaning heavily on the original infuses it with funky rhythms.

That, of course, is not the only reason for the album. The repertoire is smartly laid out so that the energy of the record winds up like a coiled spring when the first beats are sounded and continues until the penultimate “Descarga,” that proverbial Cuban Jam that made its first appearance under the watchful eye of Cachao. Here these young musicians, mentored by the experienced Calixto Oviedo turn out the music of their lives. And what spectacular music it is. I would be remiss if I did not also mention that the ballad with Lily Hernández on vocals is played and sung with balletic grace; a perfect song to temper the heat of the rest of the music of this beautiful record.

Como Suena mc
Como Suena zippy

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Chuchito Valdes, Jr. - Encantado

Styles: Latin Jazz, Afro Cuban Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:47
Size: 125,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:46)  1. Homenaje Bebo
(8:13)  2. Bolero en Chicago
(5:54)  3. Andariego
(5:40)  4. Son Cha Cha Cha
(9:20)  5. Guaguanco/Montuno
(3:13)  6. Impressions of 'Take the A Train'
(6:05)  7. Giant Steps
(2:33)  8. Danza de los Gigantes
(6:59)  9. Tres Lindas Cubanas

Cuba-born pianist/composer Jesus "Chuchito" Valdes Jr. signifies the third generation of family pianists (his grandfather is Bebo Valdes and his father is Chucho Valdes). With this solo effort, Chuchito's classical training shines forth in radiant fashion amid his Afro-Cuban influences and extensive jazz vernacular. This multi-faceted production features Australia-born saxophonist Laskar Reese among a strong supporting cast of Latin jazz veterans. Here, Valdes Jr. demonstrates his often awe-inspiring technical faculties, as the band pursues traditional, hybrid Afro-Cuban/jazz-based arrangements. Yet, the pianist tosses a bit of convention to the wayside, thanks to his keenly enacted improvisational spin on Duke Ellington's "Take the 'A' Train," aptly titled "Impressions of 'Take the A Train.'" The band furthers this notion on John Coltrane's "Giant Steps," where tenor saxophonist Laskar Reese solos atop the rhythm section's upfront pulse and odd-metered backbeats. Moreover, Valdes Jr. is most effective at reworking melodies and themes into briskly swinging motifs, augmented by lightning-fast arpeggios and rhythmically inclined block chords. Recommended. ~ Glenn Astarita https://www.allmusic.com/album/encantado-mw0000220142

Encantado

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Compay Segundo - The Real Cuban Music (Remastered)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:07
Size: 165.1 MB
Styles: Afro-Cuban, Latin jazz
Year: 2018
Art: Front

[4:27] 1. Chan Chan
[4:05] 2. El Cuarto De Tula
[3:03] 3. Voy Pa' Mayarí
[2:52] 4. Balcón De Santiago
[2:46] 5. La Juma De Ayer
[4:49] 6. Chicharrones Con Tostones
[4:10] 7. Quién Te Bautizó Vicenta
[4:30] 8. Mujeres Del Yarey
[2:39] 9. Guananey
[3:35] 10. Juramento
[2:31] 11. A Los Barrios De Santiago
[2:50] 12. Francisco Guayabal
[3:39] 13. La Trova
[3:27] 14. María En La Playa
[2:33] 15. Filiberto
[4:06] 16. Sanluisera
[4:54] 17. La Ternera
[2:54] 18. La Lengua
[3:57] 19. Se Secó El Arroyito
[4:13] 20. Saludo Compay

20 remastered songs by Máximo Francisco Repilado Muñoz Telles, known professionally as "Compay Segundo", a Cuban guitarist, singer and composer. In 2007, the centenary of his birth was celebrated with a concert dedicated to his compositions with the group Compay Segundo, composed by his sons and former musicians, together with the Venetian Symphony Orchestra. (Translated from Italian.)

The Real Cuban Music (Remastered) mc
The Real Cuban Music (Remastered) zippy

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Dayramir Gonzalez - The Grand Concourse

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:12
Size: 165.3 MB
Styles: Afro-Cuban jazz, Piano jazz
Year: 2018
Art: Front

[1:51] 1. Smiling
[7:27] 2. Moving Forward
[6:07] 3. Sencillez
[8:15] 4. Iyesa Con Miel
[5:43] 5. Blood Brothers
[4:47] 6. Camello Tropical
[8:19] 7. Lovely Time With My Dear
[6:30] 8. Linear Patterns In Havana
[5:45] 9. Two Makes The Difference
[5:40] 10. West Coast Exchange
[2:37] 11. Hand In Hand, You And I
[9:06] 12. Situaciones En 12 8

Dayramir González: Steinway Grand Piano, Fender Rhodes and synthesizers (2, 8, 9) and coro (2, 3, 10, 12); Antoine Katz: electric bass (1, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12); Alberto Miranda: electric bass (2); Carlos Mena: contrabass (3); Zwelakhe Duma-Bell Le Pere: contrabass (5, 7, 9); Zack Mullings: drums (1, 4, 6, 10); Keisel Jimenez Leyva: drums (2); Jay Sawyer: drums (5); Willy Rodriguez: drums (5); Raul Pineda: drums (8); David Rivera: drums (12); Paulo Stagnaro: congas (1,, 3, 6, 10), batá drums: (6), surdo, cajón, güiro, pandeiro and miscellaneous percussion (1, 5, 7, 8, 9) ; Marcos Lopez: congas (2); Mauricio Herrera: congas (12), batá drums (2); Pedrito Martinez: batá drums (4) and lead vocals (4); Gregorio Vento: miscellaneous percussion and lead vocals (12); Yosvany Terry: alto saxophone (1, 4, 8, 10), shekere (10); Marcos Lopez: timbal (10); Harvis Cuni: trumpet (1); Oriente Lopez: flute (1, 3, 4, 8, 10); Kalani Trinidad: flute (12); Rio Konishi: alto saxophone (12); Dean Tsur: alto saxophone (7), tenor saxophone (1, 4, 8, 10); Edmar Colon: tenor saxophone (12); Ameya Kalamdani: electric and acoustic guitars (1, 6); Tatiana Ferrer: coro (2, 3, 10, 12) and viola (1, 3, 5, 7); Jaclyn Sanchez: coro (2, 3, 10); Nadia Washington: lead vocals (6) and coro (3, 10); Ilmar Lopez Gavilan: violin (1, 3, 5, 7); Audrey Defreytas Hayes: violin (1, 3, 5, 7); Jennifer Vincent: violoncello (1, 3, 5, 7); Caris Visentin Liebman: oboe (5); Amparo Edo Biol: French horn (5).

Remarkably this is only the second album by Mr. González. His first album, Habana enTRANCe (Cinquillo, 2007) certainly announced the arrival of another master musician from the fertile musical topography of Cuba, which continues to suggest that it has an almost magical and mystical formula for creating pianists. Although he needed no introduction from older masters such as Chucho Valdés, he got one anyway. However with the explosive start to the album from “Gozando” and the nine other pieces that followed, Mr. González’s music spoke for itself and it seemed that not since Gonzalo Rubalcaba had Cuba produced an artist with such impressive credentials. The Grand Concourse is an enormous development.

From the very (title) The Grand Concourse, an artistic and spiritual portal of sorts, Mr. González beckons us into the deeply spiritual world of Santeria. But the welcome here is unique and it isn’t until “Iyesa Con Miel” with the elemental Lucumi chant by Pedrito Martinez, that one is greeted with something familiar in the way of the Afro-Cuban sprit world. But it is always there, right from the first bars of “Smiling”. It is just that Mr. González has found a new idiom to express what is traditional to him rhythmically. And this is what makes this music so wonderfully unique. This is unlike almost every recent album of Afro-Cuban music, even music by Cuban musicians who visit the same musical ground over and over again, making the evocation of the Lucumi idiom seem laboured.

The Grand Concourse mc
The Grand Concourse zippy

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Arturo Sandoval - Ultimate Duets

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:46
Size: 126,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:19)  1. Don´t You Worry 'Bout A Thing
(5:56)  2. Corazón Partio
(6:28)  3. People
(4:48)  4. Granada
(3:31)  5. Arturo Sandoval
(5:20)  6. Solo Esta Soledad
(5:01)  7. La Bilirrubina
(4:41)  8. Andante, Andante
(5:14)  9. El Ruido
(4:59) 10. After All
(4:25) 11. Quimbara

Although a superstar in the jazz community, trumpeter Arturo Sandoval is a broadly celebrated performer whose titanic trumpet chops and charismatic stage presence are recognized around the globe. His life story, punctuated by his dramatic defection from Fidel Castro's Cuba, is legendary, and even resulted in the 2000 HBO film For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story, starring Andy Garcia. From his early days with the innovative Afro-Latin ensemble Irakere, to his own jazz, fusion, and classical recordings, Sandoval has cultivated a wide-ranging cultural footprint, and earned the respect of music fans from disparate stylistic corners. It's with that wide, stylistic, and cultural scope that he crafted his 2018 album, Ultimate Duets. Produced by Sandoval and multi-Grammy Award-winning drummer Gregg Field, the album finds the trumpeter showcased alongside a series of high-profile guest performers from across the music industry. Included are spots from Stevie Wonder, Alejandro Sanz, Al Jarreau, Josh Groban, and others. From his sparkling, brightly arranged cover of Wonder's "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" featuring Prince Royce, to his dramatic, flamenco-tinged reading of "Granada" with Placido Domingo and Vicente Amigo, Sandoval lifts Ultimate Duets with a joyous, theatrical passion. It's also fun to hear him take on some more cheeky, pop-oriented material, as on his buoyant, Eurovision-ready rendition of ABBA's "Andante. Andante" with Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Admittedly, a few of these grand studio productions, like the Latin groove of "Arturo Sandoval" featuring Pharrell Williams and Ariana Grande, feel less cohesive. Surprisingly compelling is his album-ending match-up with the late Cuban vocal legend Celia Cruz on "Quimbara." As Cruz passed in 2003, the track is a digital reworking of an older recording. Nonetheless, it sounds absolutely fresh, and roils with an earthy glee, as if Sandoval and Cruz were smiling at each other in the studio. Similarly engaging is the lush, gorgeously rendered Spanish classical piece "Solo Esta Soledad," featuring Groban. Cinematically arranged, it finds Sandoval answering Groban's yearning vocals with his warm, burnished trumpet lines. While Ultimate Duets intermittently transcends its studio confines, Sandoval soars throughout, imbuing the album with all the heartfelt love and enthusiasm one feels from his live concerts. ~ Matt Collar https://www.allmusic.com/album/ultimate-duets%21-mw0003169269 

Ultimate Duets

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Paquito D'Rivera Quintet, Sabine Meyer, Trio Clarone - JaZZ-ClaZZ

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:36
Size: 166.2 MB
Styles: Clarinet jazz
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[ 7:05] 1. Vals Venezolano
[ 5:44] 2. Oblivion
[12:42] 3. Suite Piazollana
[ 4:56] 4. Borat In Syracuse
[ 3:57] 5. Afro
[ 3:57] 6. Dizzyness
[ 4:39] 7. Chiquita Blues
[ 4:13] 8. Paquito
[ 7:06] 9. Fiddle Dreams
[ 3:43] 10. Toque De Clave
[ 1:58] 11. Contradanza
[ 5:56] 12. La Cachila
[ 1:56] 13. Los Tres Golpes
[ 4:38] 14. Brasilierino

Bass Clarinet – Reiner Wehle; Clarinet – Paquito D'Rivera, Sabine Meyer, Wolfgang Meyer; Drums – Ernesto Simpson; Piano – Adonis González, Alex Brown.

D'Rivera, a Cuban alto saxophonist, clarinetist and soprano saxophonist, recorded Jazz - Clazz in Germany with special guests Trio Clarone with Sabine Meyer (clarinet), Reiner Wehle, Wolfgang Meyer Jazz Clazz . In the August 2009 publication of "Stereoplay" Magazine, the June European release of "Jazz - clazz" CD received the "Die Audiophile" award Jazz Clazz . In December 2009, the album received two GRAMMY nominations for "Best Instrumental Composition" and " Best Classical Crossover Album" Also in December of 09, Paquito D'Rivera was voted by DownBeat Magazine Reader's Poll as the Best Clarinetist for the third year in a row! Jazz Clazz by Paquito D'Rivera / Sabine Meyer was released Jun 08, 2010 on the Stormy Monday label.

"This is one of the coolest and cleanest jazz recordings I've recently heard. This is my idea of what New York-Latin jazz should be all about. The thoughtful inclusion of the classical group Trio Clarone should not lead one to think that this is some sort of cheese-headed jazz classical fusion or crossover back and forth nonsense, because it's not. Trio Clarone is sublimely integrated into the whole, though never asked to extend themselves very far outside of their classical comfort zone, and for the most part are simply participants within the greater whole of things. All involved seemingly bought into and brought their very best to the project, the players as well as the producers and engineers. The play is superb from front to back and top to bottom. All of this a testament to the enthusiasm, leadership and musicianship of Senor Paquito. There is also a very nice diversity of instrumentation from track to track including the appearance of bandoneonist Hector del Curto on several tracks and some tragically hip moments of bowed (jazz) bass from Pablo Aslan; there are duets, trios, quartets, a quintet, sextets and septets; and there is also an attractive thematic feel to the whole of things. This is a wonderfully entertaining, expertly performed, and well engineered recording. A real treat!" ~jksp

Jazz-Clazz

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Miguel De Armas Quartet - What's To Come

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:23
Size: 108.5 MB
Styles: Latin jazz
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[5:56] 1. Yasmina (Feat. Roberto Riverón, Alexis Baró & Carlos Medrano)
[4:40] 2. A Song For My Little Son (Feat. Elmer Ferrer)
[4:05] 3. La Dama Y El Perro
[5:23] 4. His Bass And Him (Feat. Mathieu Sénéchal & Galen Weston)
[2:55] 5. Pam Pim Pam Pum
[3:24] 6. Illusion
[4:45] 7. What's To Come (Feat. Jane Bunnett)
[5:51] 8. Rumba On Kent St. (Feat. Alexandre Laborde)
[5:37] 9. Tango Asunción (Feat. Alexandre Laborde)
[4:45] 10. Freddie's Drink

Miguel de Armas: piano and keyboards; Michel Medrano: drums and percussion; Marc Decho: bass (solo – 2 – 4), (5, 7, 9); Arien Villegas: congas (5); Guests: Alexis Baró: trumpet and flugelhorn (1); Roberto Riverón: contrabass (1); Carlitos Medrano: congas and percussion (1, 3, 5, 8 10); Elmer Ferrer: electric guitar (2); Mathieu Sénéchal: bass (4, 8, 10); Galen Weston: electric guitar (4); Jane Bunnett: soprano saxophone (7).

The pianist Miguel de Armas is blessed with a magnificent tumbao and he uses it to great effect on What’s to Come. But if you thought that he is sticking within his comfort zone on this recording, then you would be dead wrong because clearly not afraid to step out, to invent – very organically, it must be said – outside the Afro-Caribbean idiom and yet stay true to his roots in a refreshing, forward-thinking manner. His use of electronic instruments – especially the synthesizer – is rather effective and while he may not be the first to add splashes of vivid colour and stretch the sonic palette of his music, he certainly makes every sound from the instrument work very well for him and his music, especially when the drama of musical narratives unfold as piano and keyboards collide to produce a refreshing wave of harmonics.

Miguel de Armas is a sincere and persuasive musician. His pianism is suffused with a panoply of colours and his touch is at the soft end of the spectrum, although it has a subtle and percussive touch and always conveys his music so luminously. The music doesn’t often raise its voice much and even when it does, the narratives are skillfully crafted to maintain a certain expressive decorum. An attractive feature of Miguel de Armas’ music is that he alters harmonies and structural elements with impressive control, heading in directions that surprise and captivate the ear. The danzón “La Dama y el Perro”, “Rumba on Kent St.” and “Tango Asunción” are fine examples of such restraint. The use of bátà on “Freddie’s Drink” adds much to the rollicking rhythm of the piece.

In those and all the other works on this album, Miguel de Armas performs with consummate artistry, blending superior control and tonal lucidity with a cohesive sense of line and motion. The pianist’s music could hardly be better served than by his brilliantly schooled quartet as well as by a constellation of stars who have joined in to celebrate this music: and these include Jane Bunnett on soprano saxophone, the fiercely brilliant bassist, Roberto Riverón, guitarists Elmer Ferrer and Galen Weston, superb accordionist Alexandre Laborde and the fiery trumpeter Alexis Baró. All of the musicians engage in a skillful and rigorous manipulation of the material in the most listenable light possible, while also making it more vibrant than ever. ~Raul da Gama

What's To Come mc
What's To Come zippy

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Gloria Estefan - Into The Light

Styles: Vocal 
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:38
Size: 158,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:03)  1. Coming Out Of The Dark
(4:23)  2. Seal Our Fate
(4:01)  3. What Goes Around
(4:39)  4. Nayib's Song (I Am Here For You)
(4:34)  5. Remember Me With Love
(4:46)  6. Heart With Your Name On It
(3:43)  7. Sex In The 90's
(4:29)  8. Close My Eyes
(4:15)  9. Language Of Love
(3:52) 10. Light Of Love
(4:14) 11. Can't Forget You
(4:37) 12. Live For Loving You
(3:29) 13. Mama Yo Can't Go
(4:09) 14. Desde La Oscuridad (Coming Out Of The Dark - Spanish Version)
(4:18) 15. Don't Wanna Lose You (Portuguese Version)
(4:59) 16. Words Get In The Way [Live]

In early 1990, when she was one of the biggest pop stars in the world, Gloria Estefan suffered a broken vertebrae when her tour bus was struck in an accident, and her miraculous recovery from that near tragedy greatly informed her successive album, Into the Light. Though often noted as a "comeback" album, that descriptor is misleading. Yes, Into the Light is a comeback -- a comeback from her accident, that is. It's not a comeback in the sense that her previous album, Cuts Both Ways, had been a failure or even a disappointment. No, Estefan hadn't fallen off, so to speak, with that album. Quite the opposite. It was a monster hit, breaking into the Top Ten and scoring a couple of high-charting ballads: "Don't Wanna Lose You" and "Here We Are." 

It also marked a drastic shift away from the unabashed dance-pop of her Miami Sound Machine output toward a more respectable adult contemporary appeal. This shift affected not only her image but also her audience as a result, and that shift is even more apparent on Into the Light. In fact, the shift seems complete, as this is full-fledged adult contemporary album with serious themes and toned-down production. It sounds pleasant while playing, for sure, smoothly gliding from one song to the next, highlighted by a pair of memorable singles: the hit ballad "Coming Out of the Dark" and the cooing singalong "Live for Loving You." But there's not much else here that's all that exciting. In fact, Into the Light is so streamlined and safe that it seems plain and even bland, if not outright boring. Sure, Estefan's work with Miami Sound Machine had been silly and adolescent at times, but it was fun and lively, too. For every cheeseball song like "Surrender" or "Love Toy," you would get a pop gem like "1-2-3" or "Betcha Say That," not to mention the token slow-dance ballads and get-on-your-feet jams. But to lament the end of Miami Sound Machine is beside the point, for Estefan would move on after Into the Light to make occasionally exciting albums like Mi Tierra. The thing is, from this point forward in her career, Estefan's best work would almost always be Latin in nature. Yet for those listeners not interested in the sticky-sweet dance-pop of Miami Sound Machine or the Latin confetti of her latter-day highlights, there are albums like Cuts Both Ways and Into the Light, albums that aim for widespread adult contemporary appeal. And as far as those such albums go, they don't get much more inspired than this "comeback" album, which admittedly was wonderfully triumphant upon its 1991 holiday season release, when it soared to number five on the Billboard 200 chart, driven largely by its chart-topping lead single, "Coming Out of the Dark."~ Jason Birchmeier https://www.allmusic.com/album/into-the-light-mw0000313994              

Into The Light

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Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club At Carnegie Hall

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 88:12
Size: 201.9 MB
Styles: Afro-Cuban jazz
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[ 4:45] 1. Chan Chan
[ 4:59] 2. De Camino A La Vereda
[ 8:00] 3. El Cuarto De Tula
[ 2:44] 4. La Engañadora
[ 5:59] 5. Buena Vista Social Club
[ 4:24] 6. Dos Gardenias
[ 3:47] 7. Quizás, Quizás
[ 4:05] 8. Veinte Años
[ 3:23] 9. Orgullecida
[ 3:33] 10. ¿y Tú Qué Has Hecho
[ 2:33] 11. Siboney
[ 5:29] 12. Mandinga
[ 5:50] 13. Almendra
[ 5:38] 14. El Carretero
[ 7:00] 15. Candela
[ 5:23] 16. Silencio
[10:33] 17. Chanchullo

The landmark Buena Vista Social Club concert at Carnegie Hall-July 1, 1998-was both the start of a remarkable story and the culmination of a dream. This one-time-only event elevated veteran Cuban performers like Ibrahim Ferrer, Ruben Gonzalez, Compay Segundo and Omara Portuondo to long-overdue status as international stars, and it transformed the BVSC's already critically acclaimed album into a commercial juggernaut. Since then, the Grammy-winning Buena Vista Social Club, recorded at Havana's Egrem Studio by guitarist Ry Cooder, has sold over eight million copies, making it the best-selling world music album ever, and the 'Buena Vista Social Club Presents' imprimatur has come to represent an unwavering mark of quality. The evening also became the dramatic heart of German filmmaker Wim Wenders' popular, Oscar-nominated documentary, also called Buena Vista Social Club. No one who saw it could be unmoved by the sight of an elderly performer like Ferrer taking in the skyscraper vistas of New York City or being overwhelmed by rapturous applause after he sang. This live set, then, is the crucial link to everything that happened before or after the Buena Vista Social Club as a group of musicians and as a brand; it's the album fans have eagerly awaited for a decade.

'With the bittersweet delicacy of a classic bolero,' said The New York Times in a review of the concert, 'the Buena Vista Social Club simultaneously celebrated the vitality and virtuosity of its musicians and mourned the era they embody.' The cultural significance of BVSC's performance was matched by its political momentousness; this concert offered a rare opportunity for these master Cuban musicians, coming together for the first time as a single ensemble, to freely play their classic songs for an American audience. This two-CD set preserves an important, but sadly evanescent, moment when borders and bureaucracies miraculously disappeared in the name of art. As singer Portuondo, who would subsequently embark on her own successful American tour, recalled, 'I felt triumphant seeing how we all worked together as a group, seeing how the music reached the audience...We felt so elated to be able to share our music. All of us had known each other for many years and played together many times, but it was a unique and unrepeatable occasion that our culture and our roots could reach the public through such a beautiful concert with all of us there together on the stage.'

To build awareness and anticipation for the live set, Nonesuch released a digital single of 'Chan Chan,' the concert's opening number and arguably the BVSC's signature song, on July 1, the 10th anniversary of the concert date. The two-disc package also includes candid, often quite moving, first-person reminiscences from many of the surviving participants about the days-and hours-leading up to the concert and the once-in-a-lifetime experience of the evening itself. As album producer and fellow performer Cooder puts it, 'Listening to the tapes of the concert for the first time in ten years, I'm struck by what an amazing musical event it was. You'll never hear it again, people of this caliber working together. They were dramatic personalities and they're nearly all gone. There's nobody left like that anymore.'

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¡Cubanismo! - Mardi Gras Mambo

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:06
Size: 128.4 MB
Styles: Latin jazz
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[4:45] 1. Marie Laveaux
[5:14] 2. Mother In Law
[3:23] 3. Paso En Tampa
[6:17] 4. Shallow Water Suite
[4:12] 5. Mardi Gras Mambo
[0:25] 6. Monteorlines
[5:17] 7. It Do Me Good
[6:14] 8. Alemañy's Boogaloo
[4:31] 9. Rampart Street Rhumba
[4:02] 10. Nothing Up My Sleeve
[5:00] 11. Gumbo Son
[6:40] 12. Cuborleans

This album is the product of Cubanismo's self-professed love of New Orleans, also the city in which the band held its first concert. Jesus Alemany arranges the works here for his band in conjunction with a number of New Orleans resident players and singers. The result is often good, though it can be seemingly plagued by competition between the two major rhythmic thoughts, with the Cubans occasionally overpowering the residents or vice versa. In general, the best works are the ones written specifically for this project, with some of the more standard numbers falling by the wayside. The rap number also fails to some degree, with perhaps too many styles represented in a single work. Overall though, almost anything coming from Alemany's musical genius is worth listening to, and this is worthwhile as such, though perhaps mildly inferior to the purely Cuban albums (Cubanismo, Reencarnacion). ~Adam Greenberg

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Omar Sosa, NDR Big Band - Es:sensual

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:09
Size: 158.3 MB
Styles: Big band, Piano jazz
Year: 2018
Art: Front

[ 6:07] 1. Cha Cha Du Nord
[ 7:04] 2. Reposo
[ 7:47] 3. L3zero
[ 6:05] 4. My Three Notes
[ 9:34] 5. Glu-Glu
[10:32] 6. Iyade
[12:59] 7. Angustiado
[ 8:58] 8. Sad Meeting

This is the second album the Cuban pianist Omar Sosa has made with the Hamburg radio band – its predecessor was called Ceremony and came out in 2010 – and as before the arranger is the Brazilian Jacques Morelenbaum. I haven’t heard Ceremony but if it’s as good as es:sensual, I must seek it out immediately.



The NDR is a dream of a band for, it seems, any soloist or arranger. It not only brings impeccable musicianship to the studio, but also a sensitivity to a wide range of musical styles. Sosa has shown with his own releases a great versatility, incorporating American roots music on Across The Divide, flamenco flavours on Ilé, and a real Afro-Cuban collaboration with Transparent Water, his duo album with kora player Seckou Keita, so the NDR is a likely to have a ball here.



Sosa’s solos are as propulsive and melodic as one would expect, whether at the grand or going electric, but the real icing on the cake is Morelenbaum’s arrangements. The other bonus is that Sosa has brought with him his own drummer. Much as I’m sure the NDR’s kit man could have done a fine job, there’s nothing quite like the real thing, here in the form of fellow Cuban Ernesto Simpson. Add NDR’s Argentine super-percussionist Marcio Doctor and the music’s base becomes a seething sea of the unexpected over a bed of rhthmically rippling sand. ~Peter Bacon

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Paquito D'Rivera - Sons Do Brasil

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:44
Size: 123.0 MB
Styles: Latin jazz
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[ 8:41] 1. To Brenda With Love
[ 9:06] 2. Blues For Astor
[ 6:14] 3. Sons Do Brasil
[ 9:08] 4. Yelele Candombe
[ 9:59] 5. I Remember Dizzy
[10:34] 6. Who's Smoking

Paquito D'Rivera (alto sax, clarinet), Diego Sassetti (piano), Perico Sambeat (sax, flute), Bob Sands (tenor sax, flute), Mario Rossy (bass), Jordy Rossy (drums), José Salguiro (percussion).

Cuba-born and New York-based saxophonist and clarinet player Paquito D'Rivera has balanced a career in Latin jazz with commissions as a classical composer and appearances with symphony orchestras. Classical New Jersey wrote, "Whether playing Bach or post-bop, D'Rivera's mastery of the instruments and [his] expressive capability is unquestionable."

D'Rivera inherited his understanding of music from his father, Tito, a classical saxophonist and conductor. At the age of five, he began being tutored in musical theory by his father. Within a year, he was playing well enough to be paid as a musician. By the age of seven, he became the youngest musician to endorse a musical instrument (Selmer saxophones). Three years later, he performed with the National Theater Orchestra of Havana. Although he initially played soprano saxophone, D'Rivera switched to the alto after teaching himself to play via the book Jimmy Dorsey Saxophone Method: A School of Rhythmic Saxophone Playing. Strengthening his knowledge of music and playing techniques, D'Rivera began studying at the Havana Conservatory of Music in 1960. In 1965, he became a featured soloist with the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra. After playing with the Cuban Army Band, he joined pianist Chu Chu Valdez to found the Orchestra Cubana de Musica Moderna, and served as the band's conductor for two years.

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Brenda Navarrete - Mi Mundo

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:07
Size: 85.0 MB
Styles: World music, Cuban rhythms
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[1:59] 1. Baba Elegguá
[3:18] 2. Rumbero Como Yo
[4:58] 3. Anana Oyé
[3:16] 4. Caravana
[4:33] 5. Drume Negrita
[3:24] 6. Namaste
[3:39] 7. Taita Bilongo
[3:44] 8. Mulata Linda
[3:10] 9. Cachita
[5:02] 10. A Ochún

Mi Mundo introduces a shining new star on the world music firmament. This is the solo debut of Brenda Navarrete, a Cuban-based singer, songwriter, percussionist and bandleader of rare skill and musical originality.

She has previously made an impact singing in the internationally-acclaimed Cuban group Interactivo, performing at clubs and festivals in the U.S. and Canada, but she now takes a giant creative leap forward with Mi Mundo. Set for worldwide release on ALMA Records in January/18, the album was recorded in Havana with producer Peter Cardinali (ALMA’s founder), award-winning engineer John “Beetle” Bailey, and an all-star cast of Cuban instrumentalists.

“Being able to record Mi Mundo in Havana is a dream come true,” Brenda explains. “Havana is where I was born. Cuba is my country, my homeland, and having the opportunity to record here with musicians who know me and who understand my musical style is amazing. The energy of Cuba and Havana is very important to me, and I think that we have captured that force on this album”.

The stylistically eclectic album features a variety of group settings, with the primary instruments consisting of drums, piano, electric bass and percussion, including batá and congas played by Navarrete. Renowned special guests include Horacio ‘El Negro’ Hernández, Rodney Barreto and José Carlos on drums, Roberto Carcassés, Rolando Luna and Leonardo Ledesman on piano, Alain Pérez on bass (he also arranged several of the songs and wrote “Taita Bilongo”), Adonis Panter on quinto and Eduardo Sandoval on trombone. ~Latin Jazz network

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Jane Bunnett & The Spirits Of Havana - Ritmo + Soul

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:52
Size: 162.2 MB
Styles: Afro-Cuban rhythms
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[ 6:32] 1. Santos Saurez
[ 8:40] 2. Joyful Noise
[10:28] 3. El Rio
[ 3:55] 4. Osain
[10:02] 5. Drume Negrita
[ 5:59] 6. Journey Back
[ 5:21] 7. 3 Voices One Spirit
[ 7:00] 8. Hebioso
[12:52] 9. Fransisco's Dream

Merging a traditional Afro-Cuban spirit with the sound of acoustic mainstream jazz, Jane Bunnett and her Spirits of Havana have topped their previous projects. Since her 1992 Spirits Of Havana album on the Denon label, the saxophonist/flutist has brought more than 40 Cuban musicians on tour with her in Canada and in the United States. In addition, she and trumpeter Larry Cramer have established the Spirits of Music project to raise money for the repair of broken musical instruments in Cuba’s conservatories. They’ve produced a documentary film about Cuban music that will be presented this fall and winter at various film festivals around the world. In the film, Bunnett and Cramer perform with contemporary groups from all over Cuba, from son montuno groups, a 38-piece conga band, and even a 10-piece a cappella choir that sings in Creole.

With Ritmo + Soul, trumpet and soprano saxophone work together on "Santos Suárez," as two interwoven voices playing in harmony. Bunnett’s lively C flute and Cramer’s muted trumpet make "Joyful Noise" with a laid-back mood supported by the band. Composed by the husband-wife pair, these two songs and "Francisco’s Dream" offer a mellow adventure through consonant scenes, applying unisons and octaves liberally. Equal parts traditional Afro-Cuban and mainstream jazz, the band’s sound gets a big boost from pianist Hilario Duran and bassist Roberto Occhipinti. Their solo work stands out as both complex and comfortable. Recommended, the 71-minute program has an appeal across genre boundaries. ~Jim Santella

Ritmo + Soul mc
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Machito Orchestra - Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 17:13
Size: 39.4 MB
Styles: Latin jazz
Year: 1951/2005
Art: Front

[2:54] 1. Cancion
[3:14] 2. Mambo
[2:39] 3. Mambo2
[2:11] 4. 6/8
[3:40] 5. Jazz
[2:33] 6. Rhumba Abierta

The Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite is largely remembered as a Norman Granz commission. The reason for this is that the legendary Charlie Parker participated in the first Suite, completed and recorded in December, 1950. Moreover, even many of the musical arts cognoscenti will recall this first Suite as music performed by Machito. Most listeners forget that it was Chico O’Farrill who wrote, arranged and conducted the piece first for Machito and his Afro-Cuban Orchestra. ~Raul de Gama

Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite

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Bebo Valdés, Chucho Valdés - Juntos Para Siempre

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:31
Size: 118.0 MB
Styles: Afro-Cuban jazz, Piano jazz
Year: 2009/2014
Art: Front

[5:03] 1. Preludio Para Vevo
[4:50] 2. Descarga Valdes
[4:41] 3. Tres Palabras
[4:11] 4. Rareza Del Siglo
[5:05] 5. Tea For Two
[3:27] 6. Son De La Loma
[8:37] 7. A Chucho
[5:26] 8. Sabor A Mi
[3:09] 9. Perdido
[3:41] 10. Lagrimas Negras
[3:17] 11. La Conga Del Dentista

In this album,cuban piano virtuosos and exceptionally talented composers Bebo and Chucho Valdes, father and son, got together somewhere in Spain to record this joint effort and example of their musical greatness. Also included in this great album are songs each one composed in honor of the other. Many good things can be said about this joint effort, but in my opinion, let it suffice to say that each are a credit to Cuban music and its history, aside from being authorities in the world of "Afro-Cuban Jazz". I highly recommend this album by both the great Bebo and his son "Chucho" Valdes, two immortals of our cuban and latin american music. ~L. Dequesada

Juntos Para Siempre

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Machito & His Afro-Cuban Orchestra - Vacation At The Concord

Styles: Afro-Cuban, Cha-Cha, Mambo 
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:11
Size: 78,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:29)  1. Guaglione
(2:31)  2. Cocktails For Two
(2:29)  3. Patricia
(2:03)  4. El Aji Caribe
(2:39)  5. Me Lo Dijo Adela (Sweet And Gentle)
(2:36)  6. Mambo La Concord
(3:08)  7. The Continental (You Kiss While You're Dancing)
(3:07)  8. Torero
(2:54)  9. Estacy
(3:10) 10. Cha-Cha-Cha Loco
(2:46) 11. Cha-Cha
(2:12) 12. Cotillion Mambo

A decade after Afro-Cuban rhythms set the jazz world on fire, we find the maestro playing the Concord, a popular lakeside resort 90 miles north of New York City. So it is a "tourist" album, probably given away or sold as a souvenir. The liners and photos tell as much about where to find swimming director Buster Crabbe as Machito. For popular Latin, it has the top standards, as well as a few Machito surprises. The former includes obligatory covers of Perez Prado's smashes "Guaglione" and "Patricia," plus cha cha cha counterparts "Cocktails for Two" and "Rico Vacilon." Surprises include Johnny Conquet's "Estacy" and Italian-Chipmunks-bandleader Renato Corasone's "Torero." One title is particularly Afro-Cuban, "El Aji Caribe." It is an unusual album even for Machito. ~ Tony Wilds https://www.allmusic.com/album/vacation-at-the-concord-mw0000461283

Vacation At The Concord

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