Cubans Worldwide Unite for "Guantanamera"

Music organization PLAYING FOR CHANGE brings us this Cuban classic... "Guantanamera". PFC started the song with Carlos Varela in Havana and it features over 75 Cuban musicians around the world, from Havana and Santiago to Miami, Barcelona and Tokyo. They recorded and produced this track with Jackson Browne, who explains that “traveling with Playing For Change across Cuba was one of the most rewarding and inspiring musical experiences of my life.”

Aymee Nuviola (vocals) -- Equis Alfonso (vocals) -- Eva Griñán (vocals) -- Carlos Varela (vocals/guitar) -- Diana Fuentes (vocals) -- Grupo Síntesis (vocals) -- Luis Bofill (vocals/guiro) -- Reinaldo Elosegui (vocals) -- Candi Sosa (vocals/maracas) -- Manuel Galbán (guitar) -- Gabino Jardines (guitar) -- Alexander “Pupi” Carriera (conga) -- Miami Cuban Horns (Braily Ramos: trombone, Carlos Puig, trumpet, Felipe Lamoglia: saxophone) -- Camerata Romeu (strings conducted by Zenaida Romeu Diogenes) -- Manfarrol Medrano (marímbula) -- Gastón Joya (upright bass) -- Ernán López-Nussa (piano) -- Joel Peña (tres) -- La Conga de San Agustín (La Pasión) -- Luis Conte (bongos) -- Luis Valle (trumpet) -- Michelle Fragoso (piano) -- Papa Orbe Ortiz (bass) -- Sergio Cardona Veranes (guitar) -- Rigoberto López (bass)

Playing for Change is a multimedia music project, created by the American producer and sound engineer Mark Johnson with his Timeless Media Group, that seeks to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music. Playing For Change also created a separate non-profit organization called the Playing For Change Foundation, which builds music schools for children around the world.

"Guantanamera" is a track from the album “PFC3 Songs Around The World”, which features 185 musicians from 31 countries, including performances from Keith Richards, Sara Bareilles, Taj Mahal, Toots Hibbert from Toots & The Maytals, Los Lobos, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Keb’ Mo’, and Andres Calamaro, in addition to a song produced by Jackson Browne. Here is the cover and link...

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Thursday, 10 July 2014, 10:13 PM

CLICK HERE for a FREE pdf sample of Beyond Salsa Bass Volume 3

IT'S ALIVE!!! Beyond Salsa Bass Volume 3 is a historical behemoth of a Latin Bass Book! Doubling as a history and music appreciation course, at 442 pages, Beyond Salsa Bass Vol.3 is by far the longest of the 26 Beyond Salsa books and the first to extensively cover New York and Puerto Rican salsa and pre-salsa as well as Latin jazz. Its audio product (separate purchase) has 616 tracks (a generous selection of 60 free audio tracks is also available by download). The book includes a bass tumbao for every piano tumbao in each of Volumes 3 and 4 of the Beyond Salsa Piano series, but it also includes hundreds of bass tumbaos from and historical analyses of areas of Latin music not covered in the piano series: Puerto Rico, New York, Latin Jazz, the Cuban descargas and additional aspects of the Cuban music of 1959-1989, i.e., from the Cuban Revolution to the Fall of the Berlin Wall.

CLICK HERE to download 60 FREE Tracks from Beyond Salsa Bass Volume 3

In other news about the Beyond Salsa Series, in addition to Bass V3, the next book is almost done as well - Beyond Salsa Piano, Vol. 12 - Pupy Pedroso, Pt. 3 - Los Van Van in the 1990s. The book is equal parts history and piano - covers Van Van's amazing transition into the timba era, arguably van van's greatest period, which includes the top two songs in the timba.com readers poll - Soy todo and Te pone la cabeza mala, and the top album, Llegó Van Van.

It was during this period that Samuel Formell replaced Changuito and that Ángel Bonne, Mayito Rivera and Robertón Hernández all joined. The seven (7) albums covered are Crónicas, Aquí el que baila gana, Azúcar, Lo último en vivo, Ay Dios ampárame, Te pone la cabeza mala and Llegó Van Van. The book includes some of pupy's most famous tumbaos, including Qué tiene Van Van, El negro está cocinando, Disco Azúcar, Que le den candela, Tranquilo Mota etc. It also includes piano and bass parts for each tumbao PLUS awesome photos by Tom Ehrlich, Patrick Bonnard and others. [Mike Lazarus]

Beyond Salsa Piano, Vol. 12 -- Pupy Pedroso, Pt. 3 - Los Van Van

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Monday, 30 June 2014, 08:42 PM

Download the SALSANIMAL Intro (Track #1) here
Descarga gratis del primer tema Intro SALSANIMAL aquí

CD Review: Salsanimal by Marlow Rosado & La Riqueña (Big Label Records July 2014)
Review by Bill Tilford, All rights reserved

This newest release by Marlow Rosado & La Riqueña, whose last album Retro won the GRAMMY for Best Tropical Latin Album in 2012, is a Salsa Dura album with an interesting blend of Cuban, New York and Puerto Rican Styles. As was the case with Retro, there is an impressive supporting cast of guest artists, and this album branches out a little more stylistically. There are a few touches of Timba piano phrasing and Cuban Descarga in the opening track, Intro Salsanimal. Asi Son brings in Cuban Sonero and Timba legend Mayito Rivera for a turn at Salsa Dura. Quiero Que Me Quieras has a very Puerto Rican (but uptempo) vibe. No Me Interesas has a New York Salsa Dura feel with an unusual (and pretty cool) brass section arrangement. Cataño opens with some street sounds and is an homage to the municipality that is known as "La Antesala de la Capital", San Juan, Puerto Rico. Como Te Extraño Nena is also a hard-driving Salsa Dura piece. Yo Se Que Un Día is a soulful, richly orchestrated bolero/guajira. Puertas Del Jardin, which give a shout-out to Cartagena and Medellin, incorporates some Cumbia passages in one of the more laid-back songs in the album. Todo Se Lo Llevo is one of two Salsa Romantica tracks in the album. 88 Mil Teclas brings in Larry Harlow and Richie Ray for a piano duel. It would be a lot of fun to see this live. The album cools down at the end with the tasty Todo A Tus Pies. The one English-language song in the albumn is Ok, Here Is The Truth, which features Pop / R & B star Jon Secada in a very heartfelt Salsa Romantica number (the lyrics are heavier than you typically hear in this style, but I won't include any spoilers here).

Salsanimal is aimed squarely at dancers - the songs are all dance-floor length, and outside of 88 Mil Teclas, the focus is on section work and vocals rather than instrumental solos. BUT, the arrangements and section work are excellent and at times innovative - Marlow's extensive musical resume is put to very good use here, and this won't bore musicians either. Highly recommended for Salsa fans.

Tracks:

Intro Salsanimal
Quiero Que Me Quieras (vocal: Javier Merino)
No Me Interesas (Vocal: Jose Arroyo)
Asi Son (Featuring Mayito Rivera)
Cataño (Featuring herman Olivera)
Yo Se Que Un Dia (Vocal: Jose Arroyo)
Como Te Extraño Nena (Featuring Alex Matos)
Puertas Del Jardin (Featuring El Checo Acosta)
Todo Se Lo Llevo (Featuring Domingo Quiñones)
OK Here Is The Truth (Featuring John Secada)
88mil Teclas (Ffeaturing Larry Harlow & Richie Ray)
(Bonus Track) Todo A Tus Pies (Featuring De La Torre)

Personnel in Salsanimal

Role - Instrument	Name
Piano, Keyboards, Director	Marlow Rosado
Lead Vocals & Coros	Jose Arroyo, Javier Merino
Trumpets	Julián Cifuentes, ivan Odio, Todrigo "Moña" Escobar, Mario Ortiz
Trombones	Somar Poveda, Guillermo Cobiellas
Bass	Luis Rodriguez, Jose Velazquez, Michael Lazarus, Ricardo Martinez
Timbales/Bongo/Campana, Percussion Director	Gamalier Reyes
Bongo/Campana	Luis Reyes
Conga	Daniel Peña
Additional vocals in Cataño	Arianna Rosado, Bivianna Rosado, Adriana Rivera, Edgar Rivera, Michael Rodrigues, Rayme Marrero, Chris Marrero
Guest Artists	Alex Matos, Mayito Rivera, Jon Secada, Larry Harlow, Richie Ray, Herman Olivera, El Checo Acosta, Domingo Quiñones, De La Torre
Musical Producer, Recording Engineer	Marlow Rosado
Executive Producers	Marlow Rosado, Eddie Mandel
Mixing Engineers	Gamalier Reyes, Michael Lazarus
Assistant Engineer	Immanuel Ramirez
Mastering Engineer	Michael Lázarus

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Monday, 23 June 2014, 08:58 PM

Pupy y los Que Son Son canceled in Seattle (Jazz Alley) & San Francisco (Stern Grove Festival) - sad news indeed that Pupy will not be playing at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley in Seattle, Washington, Tuesday and Wednesday July 15 & 16. His July 20 concert at the iconic and free Stern Grove Festival in San Francisco is also canceled. Que pasó Pupy?

Pupy y los Que Son Son canceled in Seattle & San Francisco - Cuban Music News (TIMBA.com)

Adalberto and Paulito FG Call Out Troubled Promoter - we've already reported Adalberto Álvarez's dissatisfaction with Miami based promoter Alexis Somoza Erice (a Cuban national working under the names Zarabanda Producciones and/or 2-22 Productions) here = https://www.timba.com/blog_posts/all-west-coast-shows-for-Alberto-canceled = and now adding insult to injury is the latest blast from Paulito FG on his FB page,

"En el mes de mayo fuimos contactados por el Sr Alexis Somoza reportándose como representante de la Empresa 2-22 Productions, el cual alegó incluso estar llevando a cabo en ese momento una gira artística al maestro Adalberto Álvarez y solicitó nuestra disponibilidad para hacer lo mismo con nuestra agrupación a finales del mes de junio...

Adalberto and Paulito FG Call Out Troubled Promoter - Cuban Music News (TIMBA.com)

...Llamo la atención de hechos como estos a todos lo que de una forma u otra se dedican con todo respeto a esta labor de llevar el arte y la cultura de nuestro país y si valoran y consideran con honestidad la valía de nuestros artistas por todo el mundo a fin de que no sean engañados ni manipulados por tales elementos que amparados en supuestas empresas artísticas y proclamándose representantes y promotores musicales, no son más que desfachatados buscavidas, estafadores , timadores y oportunistas de ciertas y determinadas circunstancias que enmascaran su verdaderas intenciones de aprovecharse de la demanda y el prestigio ganado con el sacrificio, talento, empeño y dedicación de los buenos artistas."

Read Paulito's full post here = https://www.facebook.com/paulito.fg

Bamboleo's USA tour for this June with Mr. Somoza was also canceled after shows were booked and advertised (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pg16f1GHO4).

Miami prepares for upcoming Salsa Dura Album SALSANIMAL - After his Grammy winning homage to the salsa legends of the 1970's (RETRO - read Bill Tilford's review here), Marlow Rosado y la Riqueña will release their third album entitled SALSANIMAL on July 29.

La Riqueña counts with Cuban musicians Guillermo Cobiellas (trombone) and Ivan Odio (trumpet). Miami prepares for upcoming Salsa Dura Album SALSANIMAL by Marlow Rosado (TIMBA.com)

The original compositions feature Marlow's hard-hitting, salsa dura style -- including one dedicated to his home town and late father called "Cataño" -- with guest appearances from Premio Lo Nuestro Winner and Dominican singer Alex Matos, singer Domingo Quiñones, "el poeta de la rumba" Mayito Rivera, of Los Van Van fame, singer Hermán Olivera, singer El Checo Acosta from Colombia, pianists Larry Harlow & Richie Ray, Jon Secada and new rising star vocalist De La Torre.

Here are a few videos covering the "making of" SALSANIMAL.