Vibes-based, and pure sabor.
For over two decades, Colombian musician Dorance Lorza has made it his duty to keep alive the classic vibraphone-led salsa/mambo sound of the 1960s and 1970s. Great musicians of this genre like Tito Puente, Louie Ramirez, The Joe Cuba Sextet, Pete Terrace, Bobby Montez and Cal Tjader are amongst his musical heroes...
[This is] probably Sexteto Cafe’s strongest album to date. Ten songs of swinging vibes-led small combo salsa dura, mambo, cha cha cha, salsa romantica and Latin jazz featuring some of the finest salsa musicians from London, Cali and Medellin. Dorance invited some very special guests to join him on this album including master percussionist Diego Gale of Grupo Gale, legendary Puerto Rican sonero Ismael Rivera Jr. and Colombian salsa superstars Kike Harvey and Willy Garcia...
The tracks vary from fantastic Dorance Lorza re-workings of salsa classics such as “El Titere” and “Con Los Pobres Estoy” through to future salsa classics (and Sexteto Cafe originals) like “Rumbero De Corazon”, “Latin DNA” and the very grooving “Cha Cha Para Adela”. Dorance totally understands that the musical past must always be respected but new and original material has to be produced for salsa to continue to be a relevant force in contemporary Latin music. I think he’s got the balance just about right and I am sure that the “Latin DNA” of Dorance Lorza & Sexteto Cafe will keep on growing for a long time into the future.
(review by Lubi Jovanovic aka DJ Lubi)