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2LP
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GR 037LP
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$41.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 2/7/2025
A collection with a very specific criterion: to bring together the best songs that exemplify the model of what would later be known as salsa. Tito's sessions at RCA produced the highest quality and sounding recordings of the epoch, and are up to today's sound standards. 24 tracks compiled from the best dancefloor tracks from Tito's golden era that easily adapt to the aesthetics of modern salsa. Featuring: Santos Colón, Vicentico Valdés, Alfredito Valdés, Vitín Avilés, Yayo "el Indio," and Tony Molina. Complete liner notes Spanish/English by collector and DJ, Pablo "Bongohead" Yglesias. Format designed for DJ's, collectors and general public. Though it may seem obvious or perhaps even a fool's errand to dedicate a compilation to this theme, since everything Tito recorded was full of "salsa y sabor" (sauce and flavor), it's actually perhaps the first of its kind in that every recording here is specifically chosen for today's salsa dancers, in whichever style they choose to dance, with an emphasis on the guaguancó rhythm and mambo arrangement. Tito's RCA sessions produced the most high quality, incredible sounding recordings of the epoch, and they more than hold their own by today's sonic standards. For this reason, Grosso has collected two dozen of Tito's finest golden era nuggets for the dance floor, with a concerted emphasis on midtempo numbers with clear percussion patterns that easily fit the modern salsa aesthetic. Many of these tracks, such as "Cuando Te Vea," "Complicación," "Agua Limpia Todo," "Con Sandunga," and "Guaguancó Margarito" are directly connected to traditional Afro-Cuban rumba or Santería rituals through their original composers, rhythm structure, lyrical content and melodies. Indeed, they could all be performed -- and some were -- as strictly percussion and vocal rumbas, but the real difference is what Tito Puente did with the instrumentation, arrangements, vocals and pacing, turning them into the big band extravaganzas that caused "mambo mania," routinely working his audiences into a frenzy on the dance floor.
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GR 036LP
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The Mantecas (formerly known as Manteca) is an eight piece, London-based, Latin jazz, soul, and boogaloo band well known for creating a party mood at festivals and gigs everywhere they go, from Glastonbury, Ealing Festival and Tropical Pressure Festival to The 606 Club and The Jazz Café in London. They have a particular ability for bridging the culture gap with any audience getting all crowds up hitting the dance floor in a jive. The Mantecas will blow your mind with a mesmerizing mix of salsa, Cumbia, funk, Latin jazz and boogaloo. For this new release album, the band is exploring the legacy of some of the jazz giants through a Latin lens, reworking timeless pieces by Coltrane, Shorter, Davis, Hubbard, and Perkins, giving them the infusion of Latin rhythms while remaining true to the jazz language.
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2LP
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GR 035LP
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Grosso! Recordings present Rumbero Mayor: An Overview of the Legendary Afro-Cuban Conguero That Changed Latin Music and Jazz Forever, a collection featuring Chana Pozo. Some tracks have been remastered and restored and some are presented on vinyl after many years. Format and selection designed for DJs, collectors, and general public. Complete liner notes Spanish/English by collector and DJ, Pablo "Bongohead" Yglesias. Edition of 500.
"The story of Luciano 'Chano' Pozo González (born January 7, 1915 in Havana, died December 3, 1948 in New York City), is the stuff of myth and legend, of triumph and tragedy, and like that of several similar seminal figures in the history of the music of the Americas (Robert Johnson comes to mind), someone born of African ancestry and humble economic origin ends up influencing global popular culture and changing the course of music as we know it but then dies all too young to realize their full potential or enjoy the fruits of their labor. But who was Chano and what makes him so important? He was a multi-talented percussionist, composer and dancer who demanded satisfaction in life and lived it to the hilt. More importantly, he was well aware of his African roots and figured out how to blend the ancient and the modern in Latin music such a way as had never been done before." --Pablo "Bongohead" Yglesias New York City, May 2019
"Chano was a showman. He was a creator. You could never predict what the guy was going to do next. He's one of those kinds of people with a million ideas. Same thing applies with his playing, he never played congas like these guys... he always finds something to fit in different, this is why his value is so big. Sometimes you gotta die and rest in peace for 20 years before the people start evaluating what you're doing. Now they want to know because so much has happened with the conga, that they want to know where that comes from, and they got to go to the roots." --Mario Bauzá
"It was similar to a nuclear weapon when it burst on the scene. They'd never seen a marriage of Cuban music and American music like that before." --Dizzy Gillespie
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GR 034LP
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2022 restock. "Zombie Club presents Calypso Guapacha, the fourth sonic artifact after his "Come To The Caribbean (GR 029LP, 2014), Mambo Calypso (2014) and Limbo (GR 027LP, 2016) successful releases. Once again, the concept is clear and simple: taking a trip on an imaginary sonic cruise to the islands, harbors and mountains of the Caribbean through rhythms and dances that recreate the tropical atmosphere that bring the festive spirit of these lands around the world. This time, we begin with a strange calypso song played on electric guitar by Cuban Wilson & His Combo followed by some tracks from the West Indies such as calypso, Haitian meringue, quelbe, mento or goombay. These rhythms are sung in English but they introduce the sparkly presence of the clave (wooden sticks from Cuba) that sets the beat on which all the musical structure is based, not only in the Caribbean music but also in all the African-roots music. Thanks to that, musicians who sing in different languages can share a primal and common musical home. The B side focuses on the Spanish-language tunes, with montunos, bombas and cumbias from Cuba, Puerto Rico and Colombia. However, we've chosen a doo-wop/mambo as a way of conclusion in order to show that Caribbean music isn't just limited to that specific geographic area. That is it, we are embarking in Cuba going around the Caribbean to arrive in the USA, singing in different languages with different rhythms but finding a pulse that's shared by all of them: the clave. Well, it's OK, we don't want to theorize too much, it's about moving the hips and enjoying. That's why we tell you, one more time: 'Ay, sí, sí...we want to mambo!'" --Señor Zombie. Some tracks have been remastered and restored and some are presented on vinyl after many years. Format and selection designed for DJs, collectors and general public. Also features: The Fabulous McClevertys, The Lion, Reuben McCoy & The Hamiltonians, Pierre Murat Et Son Ensemble, Luis Kalaff, Charlie Adamson, The Wigglers, Ñico Saquito, Cristóbal Pérez, Maelo Y Cortijo, Trío Matamoros, Chuito El De Bayamón, Pedro Laza Y Sus Pelayeros, Walfredo De Los Reyes, and The Dootones. 300 gram sleeve, includes download.
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LP+CD
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GR 033LP
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"This is the third in our compilation series on the roots of salsa. For a general background on the ideas behind it, please refer to the notes in the first and second volumes. In a nutshell the Roots Of Salsa series is an investigation into early Cuban or Cuban-derived tunes that were either covered by salsa groups later (mid-1960s through today) or were highly influential on the development of salsa over the decades. The main criterion was to pick tracks that sounded adequate for today's DJ or collectors to play at a gig or on the radio, or were sufficiently interesting (or enough of a surprise to fans of the later version) to merit inclusion, but were not perhaps the best known or of more recent vintage." --Pablo E. Yglesias, aka DJBongohead.
Features: Roberto Faz Y Su Conjunto, Conjunto Estrellas De Chocolate, Cheo Marquetti Y Su Conjunto, René Touzet And His Orchestra, Noro Morales Y Su Orquesta, Xavier Cougat And His Orchestra, Monchito And His Mambo Royals, Orquesta Riverside, Los Jóvenes Del Cayo, Rosendo Ruíz, Jr. And His Orchestra, La Orquesta De Ernesto Duarte Con Rolando Laserie, Silvestre Méndez Y Su Conjunto, Pio Leiva Con La Orquesta De Bebo Valdés, and La Orquesta Casino De La Playa.
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2LP
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GR 032LP
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RSD 2018 release. Machito (Francisco Raúl Gutiérrez Grillo) had arguably the most influential big band Latin orchestra of the mambo era in New York, being one of the earliest, largest, and hottest. One of the most important innovations of the orchestra was that they were the first to assemble the essential rhythmic trio of tumbadoras (congas), bongó, and timbales, which became the standard percussion lineup in subsequent Latin bands. In a bold move, Machito founded and named his orchestra The Afro-Cubans in 1940, something that was unprecedented at the time, proudly calling out his heritage long before the Civil Rights movement gained momentum or James Brown would proclaim to be black and proud. The orchestra was also the first truly racially integrated and culturally diverse band in the U.S. Machito has stated that the purpose of expanding the small conjunto into the big band format was a concept that aimed to bring the Latin sound up to the current New York standards of sophistication, professionalism, and excellence that the popular swing dance bands of the time enjoyed, enabling them to play complicated charts and attract plentiful multi-racial audiences to large venues. Progressive jazz-influenced arrangements were provided by his good friend and brother-in-law Mario Bauzá, a clarinetist and trumpeter who had learned about sophisticated jazz composition and swing time from stints with Don Redman, Noble Sissle, Chick Webb, and Cab Calloway. This dynamic union of Machito and Bauzá consequently made them key figures in the Afro-Cuban jazz/Cubop movement that came during the 1940s. What made Machito special as a vocalist was the fact that that he not only sung the "inspiraciones" (improvised sections) and lead, but he would also sing coro (chorus) in the same song. Already in his 30s when he started his big band, Machito's voice had a warm, fun-loving, pleasant sound with an old-school vibrato befitting a Broadway entertainer that by the 1950s was sounding more mature than his competitors. Yet he also was well-versed in Afro-Cuban lingo and jazz vocals and fit his authentic soneos expertly into the complicated jazz riffs and tropical poly-rhythms of the orchestra. Features Cuarteto Caney, Xavier Cugat Orchestra, M. Valdes, Noro Morales Orchestra, and Graciela, and Machito with his various ensembles: Machito's Afro Cuban Salseros, Sus Afro Cubanos, and Afro Cuban Orchestra. Some tracks are presented here on vinyl after many years. Remastered and restored. 300g cardboard.
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GR 031LP
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Pablo Yglesias, aka DJ Bongohead, compiles an amazing series for Grosso Recordings, Roots Of Salsa, with classics tunes from Caribbean music that became great successes of "Salsa". Yglesias on the compilation: "This is the second volume in our series on the roots of salsa... The main criterion was to pick tracks that sounded adequate for today's DJs to play at a gig, or were sufficiently interesting (or enough of a surprise to fans of the later version) to merit inclusion. The other measuring stick was that they needed to come from the old-school, before the more modern era (from 1962 on) and all of its recording innovations and marketing strategies... for now, listen to these dozen gems and then go back to their more familiar cousins from recent times and compare and contrast, and we're sure you'll be enlightened and entertained." Features: La Sonora Matancera, Conjunto Colonial de Nelo Sosa, Chappotín y Sus Estrellas, Trío Matamoros, José Curbelo and His Orchestra, Flores Valdéz y Su Conjunto Musical, Tito Rodríguez y Los Lobos Del Mambo, Estrellas de Chocolate, Pacho Alonso con Bebo Valdés y Su Orquesta, Conjunto Kuvabana de Alberto Ruíz, Conjunto Niágara, and La Orquesta Siboney de Pepito Torres. 140 gram vinyl; Includes insert with Spanish/English liner notes by Pablo "Bongohead" Yglesias; Includes CD; Edition of 700.
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GR 030LP
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Pablo Yglesias, aka DJ Bongohead, compiles an amazing series for Grosso Recordings, Roots Of Salsa, with classics tunes from Caribbean music that became great successes of "Salsa". Yglesias on the compilation: "This series is born of my investigations into the music I love, digging deep into the Afro-Antillean songbook from the golden period of Latin music to unearth older -- sometimes definitive or at the very least early hit renditions -- of tunes that would later be covered by the next succeeding waves of salseros. That is not to say these are the first recorded versions (though some are); indeed, there is a whole other even earlier epoch of recordings, from the 1920s and '30s, which also served as fodder for future generations of Latin musicians. The mission with this series is to choose recordings from the 1940s and '50s that not only were influential in the 1970s but also have good-to-excellent recording fidelity and could be an aid not only in advancing people's understanding of the origins of salsa, but also serve as a DJ tool to show that there was an earlier version of a hit that the casual salsa fan may not know about. These treasures, some now forgotten and obscure, others still played in some melómano (salsa fan) circles, are representative of the earlier era of compositions and performances that would serve to inspire and shape the movement that would become a transnational symbol of Latinidad from the 1960s through the 1980s, before the next generation created their own vernacular styles for dancing and expressing their identity anew." Features: Cheo Marquetti Y Su Conjunto, Vicentico Valdés Con La Sonora Matancera, Mariano Mercerón Y Sus Muchachos Pimienta, Senén Suárez Y Su Conjunto Del Tropicana Night Club, Orquesta Aragón, René Álvarez Y Su Conjunto Los Astros, Arsenio Rodríguez Y Su Conjunto, Joseíto Fernández Con Orquesta Aragón, Conjunto Flores Valdés, Conjunto Casino, Randy Carlos And His Orchestra, Alfonsin Quintana Y Su Conjunto Jovenes Del Cayo, Trío Matamoros, and Chapuseaux Y Damirón. 140 gram vinyl; Includes insert with Spanish/English liner notes by Pablo "Bongohead" Yglesias; Includes CD.
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GR 029LP
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In this series, Grosso! Recordings bring in some of the names of the Latin bands based in New York between the '40s and early '60s and other recordings done in Cuba by Orquestas or Conjuntos likes Félix Chappottín, José Curbelo, and La Playa Sextet that were a big influence for Latinos in New York. Think musicians of the stature of Eddie Palmieri, Mongo Santamaría, Noro Morales, Francisco Aguabella, Cal Tjader, or Machito. "Mamey Colorao", a well-known composition by Peruchin Justíz, is the album title of third volume from the Afro-Cuban Roots Of Boogaloo compilation series by Grosso! Recordings, performed by Tito Puente and later covered on a more electric version by Ocho. Side A opens out a variety of more traditional Cuban numbers such as "No Tiene Telaraña" by José Curbelo's Orquesta, "El Baile Suavito", a heavy duty tune performed by Orquesta Aragón, and a very well-known cha-cha-chá "Rico Vacilón" written by Rosendo Ruíz Quevedo on the inimitable voice of Machito & his Afrocubans. "Garbage Man's Chachachá (La Basura)" by La Playa Sextet highlights an electric guitar sound that anticipates the fusion of the traditional and the new sounds that would lead into the 'Boogaloo' and 'Salsa'. A couple of montunos round off the A side, "Quimbombó" from Félix Chappotín Orchestra with the legendary Miguelito Cuní and "Bolita" with a double entendre of Bimbi and his Trío Oriental. Noro Morales opens the B side with "Vitamina", a traditional mambo followed by "Palo Mayombe", a pachanga rhythm with the distinctive Afro-sound of Mongo Santamaria. An exquisite version of "El Gavilán" is performed by Eddie Palmieri on piano with an outstanding brass section that would years later identify the Fania All Stars' sound. The last three tracks bring about a turning point on the concept of the album: "Wachi Wara" by Dizzy Gillespie in a Latin jazz vein performed by the always modern and elegant Cal Tjader, a version of "Titoro", by Tito Puente, with a Brazilian vibe at times interpreted by vibraphonist Bobby Montez and concluding, Francisco Aguabella with "Shirley's Guaguanco", a jazzy tune with a traditional guaguancó rhythm and sound on the congas and bongo with a final coro reminiscent of the very Cuban "rumba de solar".
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GR 027LP
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A new Caribbean trip through calypso, mambo, cumbia cha-cha-chá, lena, rhythm'n'blues, Latin jazz and others Afro booty-shaking rhythms, Limbo! adds to the great line of Zombie Club releases. All aboard the Zombie Club sonic cruiser, with the same intention/obsession of their previous trips: Gozar! Once again, Zombie Club chart an uncertain course through the Caribbean Islands on their way to New Orleans, visiting Colombia, Cuba, Trinidad, Bahamas, Martinica, Puerto Rico. If listeners enjoyed Come to the Caribbean (GR 021LP, 2014) and Mambo Calypso (GR 022LP, 2014), they shouldn't miss the chance to shake their booty to this selection of West Indies rhythms. Another magical musical journey through steamy and exotic landscapes, the musical selection speaks for itself. So grab a cocktail, put the record on and dance. Features: Lord Tickler with The Jamaican Calypsonians, Cyril Díaz and His Orchestra, Noro Morales, Cortijo y Su Combo, Barel Coppet et ses Antillais, Lucho Pérez, James Moody and His Bopmen, Slilm Gailliard, Pacho Galán y Edmundo Arias, Mon Rivera y su Orquesta, Trío Matamoros, Charlie Adamson, Lord Kitchener and René Touzet.
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2LP
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GR 026LP
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Ignacio de Loyola Rodríguez Scull, aka Arsenio Rodríguez, was a Cuban musician, bandleader and prolific composer who developed the son montuno and other Afro-Cuban-based rhythms. Today, he is seen as one of the most important figures in Latin music, with his influence reaching beyond the Spanish speaking world to also include African popular music of the 20th century, though when he died he was not widely known by the public for his contributions and influence. He is also recognized (along with Israel "Cachao" López and Dámaso Pérez Prado) as one of the creators of mambo, what Rodríguez himself often referred to as "ritmo diablo". Some of his best-known, and most-often covered recordings from the '50s and early '60s are included here, among them "Dame un cachito pa' huele'," "Dundunbanza," "El reloj de pastora," "Cambia El Paso," and "Hay Fuego En El 23". Never one to stand still creatively, by the early 1960s Arsenio began introducing other experimental modes of expression taken from his new adopted home (jazz, r&b, rock) into his conjunto, incorporating saxophones and "walking" bass, as well as amplifying his guitar and even singing a few tunes himself (in a jocular, gruff tone). True to his racial pride, he often utilized African religious terms, melodies, rhythms and sonorities. Leaving New York and moving to Los Angeles in 1969/1970 to try his luck on the West Coast, Rodríguez unfortunately remained relatively unknown in California, and by most accounts audiences were indifferent to his by now old-style Cuban music, especially with the rise of Latin rock. In the late '60s and early '70s, Johnny Pacheco, the Dominican bandleader and musical director of Fania Records, had been recording versions of the conjunto and son montuno sound that Rodríguez and others like La Sonora Matancera had pioneered decades before, complete with trumpets and tres, and similar arrangements. Arsenio's innovative techniques, arrangements and compositions have had far reaching consequences because not only was the rise of salsa in the late '60s and '70s fueled in part by his Afro-Cuban son conjunto aesthetic, but one could argue that his pioneering influence can still be felt today through the edgy deconstructionist jazz and punk inflected music of Marc Ribot's Cubanos Postizos and Jacob Plasse's thrillingly eclectic ensemble Los Hacheros. The tracks here have been remastered and restored and some are presented on vinyl after many years. 350g cardboard printed on the reverse side.
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2LP
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GR 025LP
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RSD 2016 release. Two 140-gram LPs in 350-gram cardboard sleeve. Limited edition of 500. A compilation of restored, remastered tracks, many previously unavailable on vinyl for many years, by Cuban double bassist and composer Israel López Valdés, better known as Cachao. Format and selection designed for DJs, collectors, and the general public. "Though some of the maestro's recordings are more for the head and the heart, plenty are for partying. This collection hand-picks the best numbers for dancing and going wild, selected from his late 50s Havana sessions for Panart, plus recordings made as a sideman for Bebo Valdés, Chico O'Farrill, Generoso 'Tojo' Jiménez, Pedro 'Peruchín' Justíz, and the early 60s New York sides done with the Joe Cain Orchestra. Joining Cachao on the Havana sessions were the likes of Tata Güines, Richard Egües, Alejandro 'El Negro' Vivar, Armando 'Chocolate' Armenteros, Los Papines, and Orestes 'Macho' López. In New York under the direction of Joe Cain, Cachao played alongside jazz luminaries like Jerome Richardson, Clark Terry, Jimmy Nottingham, Frank Anderson and Herbie Lovelle, as well as José 'Buyú' Mangual, Antonio 'Chocolate' Díaz Mena, and Marcelino Valdés, forging a soul-jazz meets Cuban sound that would become more prevalent a few years later and be called Latin Boogaloo. Full of tropical flavors, funky beats, and compelling instrumental solos, the unique and exciting thing about Cachao's descargas is that they allow the music to breathe without the distraction of vocals for the most part. This is diverse music played by the pros for their own pleasure. Some popular romantic Latin dance music is merely a pre-fabricated bed for the singer and chorus, where the lyrics take precedence over the lyricism of the music. Not so in these miniature gems of improvisation recorded just before and after the Cuban Revolution in what seems like a bygone era. What makes these recordings unique is they were made by a group of friends after hours, when Cachao was done with his day job at the Havana Philharmonic Orchestra and the nightly hotel and club engagements with Arcaño y sus Maravillas and others. So the stiffness and formality, the professionalism and commercial concerns are jettisoned in favor of a more playful and personal approach, making these jams as fresh today as they were more than a half-century ago. Grab your mojito and get ready . . . Cachao's gonna make you dance!" --Pablo "Bongohead" Yglesias
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GR 023LP
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140-gram LP in 350-gram reverse-printed cardboard sleeve. Remastered and restored sound. Edition of 500. In the '50s in El Barrio, pachanga, mambo, rumba, cha-cha-chá, and, above all, guajira and son montuno are the preferred rhythms. On Friday nights at The Palladium, the best orquestas, like Tito Puente's, Jack Costanzo's, and Joe Quijano's, keep the atmosphere hot as Machito, Cugat, and Bauzá did before them. Afro-Cuban rhythms had been finding a place in jazz and it was in the '40s and '50s when things gathered momentum, and that Latin thing that would explode later and be known commercially as "salsa" began to emerge, although there was a gap between those first pioneers and the new generation for whom boogaloo was king. Boogaloo has deep roots in Afro-rhythms, soul, and rhythm 'n' blues. It is fair to say that the bands who played charanga, mambo, and son considered boogaloo an inferior genre, and later they asked why this music was called "salsa," when it had always been Afro-Cuban music. With this series, Grosso! Recordings brings in some of the Latin bands based in New York between 1955 and 1962 and other recordings done in Cuba by orquestas of the likes of Arsenio Rodríguez, José Curbelo, Roberto Faz, and the immeasurable Sonora Matancera, Orquesta Kubavana, and La Playa Sextet. This collection documents not only the Latin sound of the big city -- "Pachanga en changa" by Joe Quijano, "Conmigo" by Eddie Palmieri, and "Mambo de Cuco" by Mongo Santamaria -- but also the more traditional sound of "El divorcio" with the incomparable "tres guitar" of Arsenio Rodríguez and the mambo at the end of "Guajira y Tambó" by Ray Barretto, together with the double meaning present on the lyrics of all Cuban music, such as Sonora Matancera's version of "Esto se hincha" and "Las Bobitas" by Roberto Faz. A must-have to understand the arrival of boogaloo and salsa. Format and selection designed for DJs, collectors, and the general public. Includes tracks by Tito Puente, Pío Leyva with Bebo Valdés & His Orchestra, Arsenio Rodríguez, Bienvenido Granda & La Sonora Matancera, Roberto Faz & His Conjunto, Fantasmita with C. Barbería & Kubavana, Ray Barretto, Jack Costanzo & His Afro Cuban Band, Joe Quijano & Conjunto Cachana, Cachao & His Combo, Eddie Palmieri & "La Perfecta", La Playa Sextet, Mongo Santamaria, and La Lupe.
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GR 024LP
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140-gram LP in 350-gram reverse-printed cardboard sleeve. Remastered and restored sound. Edition of 500. With this series (also including Coco May May (GR 023LP)), Grosso! Recordings brings in some of the Latin bands based in New York between 1955 and 1962 and other recordings done in Cuba by orquestas of the likes of Arsenio Rodríguez, José Curbelo, Roberto Faz, and the immeasurable Sonora Matancera, Orquesta Kubavana, and La Playa Sextet, which were a big influence for the Latinos in New York -- musicians of the stature of Jack Costanzo (of Italian origins), Ray Barretto, Eddie Palmieri, Mongo Santamaría, Sabú Martínez, Joe Cuba, and The Alegre All Stars, Cubans Pío Leyva, Cachao, and Arsenio Rodríguez, the powerful voice of Carlos Embale, the elegant ad-libs of Ibrahim Ferrer and Vicentico Valdés, and the unmistakable and overwhelming presence of La Lupe. Here, "Sugar's Delight" is an easygoing pachanga on which one can hear the unmistakable sound of Ray "Hard Hands" Barretto on congas. The collection opens with "Camina y Ven," a countryside guajira by Celina and Reutilio, with Carlos Embale on vocals accompanied by Orquesta Kubavana directed by Carlos Barbería. "Descarga Guajira," an impressive jam by Cachao, starts with a montuno that ends with a masterful trumpet performance by Alejandro "El Negro" Vivar and Yeyo Iglesias and Tata Güines on percussion. "Abaniquito" is a powerful mambo by Tito Puente performed here by Jack Costanzo & His Afrocuban Band. Puente shines on "Mambo Beat," a fusion of mambo and Latin jazz, which is followed by "Joe Cuba's Mambo," in a typical El Barrio sound with the added playing of Joe Cuba on congas. The very Cuban rhumba "Cachita" is revisited by Eddie Palmieri, and the collection closes with "Ay camina y Ven" by Kako Bastar and his Alegre All Stars, consisting of Johnny Pacheco, Cheo Feliciano, Yayo El Indio, Al Santiago, and Barry Rogers on trombone, who would later give the Fania All-Stars so much swing. Soulful music that will make you move your hips, and a necessary collection for understanding the boogaloo and salsa that would come later. Format and selection designed for DJs, collectors, and the general public. Also includes tracks by José Curbelo & His Orchestra, Vicentico Valdés, Ibrahim Ferrer with Chepín & His Orquesta Oriental, and Sabú Martínez.
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GR 021LP
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Zombie Club presents Come to the Caribbean, a sonic cruise through the Caribbean dance music of the Antilles and the Caribbean basin sea, born from the heat of the African drum and mixing of blacks, Latins and whites. The Zombie Club was a mythical cabaret and ballroom in Havana in the '50s, along with the Sans Souci, Faraon or Tropicana. These places were a meeting of the colorful, tumultuous and licentious nocturnal fauna of the era where dancers sculpted bodies, gangsters, sailors, tourists, students and revolutionaries. The smoke of snuff and the best rum drinks acted as fuel for the orchestras and groups, who unmistakably defined not only the nature but also musical exoticism of the Antilles and the Caribbean. This volume mixes the Bahamas goombay with Puerto Rican bomba and plena, Cuban son, mambo or guaracha with Colombian gaitas and cumbias, calypso from Trinidad and Jamaican mento, Latino swing and Cuban conga with rhythm'n'blues from Louisiana. Here are the roots of genres that developed later on as ska, reggae, boogaloo, salsa, soca, champeta, soul or -- you name it -- dance music in general. This is a sonic journey through time and space by islands and ports in the Caribbean Sea. All tracks remastered and restored. 300 gram cardboard printed on the reverse side.
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