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Who likes LATIN JAZZ?

NOT ME, at least not for a long time now (other than JOBIM- i am referring more to cuban, afro-cuban, etc. material) but rather suddenly (within the last month or so) i started to enjoy the upbeat nature of alot of the tunes as well as the sophisticated rhythms and the exceptionally talented players. plus it so happens that a bass player named CACHAO just passed away (last week), and there were numerous musical tributes on the radio (miami). the more tracks they played, the more i appreciated the musicianship of this extremely talented player, allegedly the composer of 3000 songs. in addition, Cal Cjader, Tito Puente, Paquito D'Rivera, even Mongo Santamaria, and many others got my anglo foot tapping. i don't dance particularly well, and am not going to take mambo lessions; but the music is interesting enough even when seated. the only thing that sometimes turns me off is if the percussion, particularly too many bongos doing a "how fast and loud can you play" segment, dominates a particular song. but it doesn't happen all that often (thank goodness!), and i can go back to listening to alot of other instruments interpreting the music such as fiddles, marimbas, bari saxes, etc. SO, who shares my new-found interests in this medium, and does anybody here have any recommendations if i wanted to put together a collection of cd's representing "the best of the best"? for starters, i would have to say
CACHAO'S master sessions #1 and #2 would definitely be on my list, along with Cjader... can anyone name some cd titles for me? thanks!
french_fries
oregon
608 posts
 
Yo Fool!
Percussion, drums* and foot stomping, are the very foundations of Latin and Jazz.

Check the Buena Vista Social Club (ignore the stupid slide guitar whining in the background) and another excellent CD is Introducing Ruben Gonzalez.

If you don't like these stick with Yanni.

*timbalas, bongos, congas, hollowed out tree trunks, cans, sticks, bones,bells, skulls,etc.
digsmithd
545 posts
 
Any body heard of spanish harlem orchestra?heard a tune on the radio coming home from work...they were jammin!!!
jaybo
4,478 posts
 
more cowbell
french_fries OP
735 posts
 
well, i thank (some of y'all) for the suggestions. funny though, i never said i didn't like LATIN PERCUSSION- otoh i think it's great, indispensable, especially the incredible variety of different sounds you hear on these recordings.
what i DID suggest is that when (specifically) bongo players start playing too long and too loud, it sounds like they are showing off rather than playing music and trying to integrate their sound with the rest of the group. this does not happen alot AS I BELIEVE I SAID ALREADY, but it was one of the reasons it took me a long time to learn to appreciate ALL of the nuances and complexities that this musical genre possesses.
so to those of you who are limited in reading comprehension skills, i would suggest that you not find offense in statements no one made. i'm trying to learn as much as i can about new and different types of music, and not seeking out those with nothing constructive to offer.
chazro's avatar
chazro
575 posts
 
!!??.....Did somebody wake up on the wrong side of their cowbell this morning!?;)

Before questioning my reading abilities, since a number of posters agreed with what I wrote, you may want to check out your writing abilities. Not only does your 1st post imply that you simply don't get it, your 2nd post CONFIRMS it!!

"...it took me a long time to learn to appreciate ALL of the nuances and complexities that this musical genre possesses."

I'm not going to question how much time you've spent learning it ALL, just that you MAY want to spend a little more time brushing up on what you've learned.

I gave you a constructive suggestion before, Latin Jazz is a music best experienced live. Here's some more, you've been given a few good recommendations, you oughtta check them out. If you do a search here you'll find other threads and lastly, go to Latinjazzcorner.com, click on the best of 2007, a more stirling list of recs doesn't exist (although I warn you, there's definetely some bongo solos on these amazing records;)

Nip at me and I'll nip back, tone down the arrogance!
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