Beschrijving
Music Sample
Cubanismo! – Mucho Gusto: Very Best Of (2001)
Prachtige verzamelaar van Cubanismo!, de ondergewaarde groep van voormalig Sierra Maestra trompetist Jesus Alemany.
Cubanismo! might have started a year before the Buena Vista Social Club phenomenon, but there`s no doubt the latter — in addition to constant touring — has helped them break through to real success. There`s little that`s revolutionary about Jesús Alemany`s Cuban blend, as it harks bark heavily to both the dance music of the `40s and `50s, as well as the chops that helped Cuban jazz stand out, simply supercharging the power and speed a little for modern audiences. That isn`t to deny that it`s appealing, successful, and very, very good. Alemany himself can blow like Dizzy Gillespie, and the band isn`t afraid to improvise as well as work through some excellent charts. Their Cuba-New Orleans album, represented here by “Peso en Tampa” and the Crescent City tale of “Marie Laveaux,” was inspired and was a necessary development in their sound. However, the two new tracks available here, exploring the connection between Cuba and Jamaican reggae, don`t fare anywhere near as well. The angry anthem of “Get Up, Stand Up” comes across as anemic. Though it`s cast with great musical sophistication — plenty of key changes, complex harmonies, and solos — its punch was in its simplicity. A basic message of human rights (in both English and Spanish here) gets lost amid the virtuosity. “Could You Be Loved,” sung by Luciano, gets the Cuban big band treatment with a slightly timid rap, but again, the glory of a simple melody is covered in too much frosting. What Cubanismo! do well, they do very well indeed. And that makes it all the more obvious when they falter.
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1. Mambo U.K.
2. Descarga de Hoy
3. Mulence
4. Get Up, Stand Up
5. Paso en Tampa
6. Aprovecha
7. El Platanal de Bartolo
8. Pa`Que Gozen
9. Marie Laveaux
10. Could You Be Loved
11. El Paso de Encarnacion
12. Salsa Pilon
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