SALSA CDS

 Salsa music has flourished since the late 1960s - indeed, there's so much on the market today that one could wonder at the possibility of any 'lost classics' existing.

 Unfortunately, many early salsa pioneers were neglected before the music became popular worldwide: Libertad has remedied this situation with LOST CLASSICS OF SALSA VOLUME 1, culling winners from one-off, unpublished albums never reissued, from archives, and from little-distributed publications part of the 'Tipica' movement.

 The result is a spicy collection of top-notch artists and productions: real winners which stand out within the genre.

 While none of the groups in LOST CLASSICS OF SALSA VOLUME 1 enjoy the critical fame and acclaim of their contemporaries, the songs are no less deserving: hot dance music keeps a powerful beat throughout from song to song and pack in winning sounds, whether it be the hot salsa spice of Louie Colon y su Combo or the tropical atmosphere created by La Ritmo Tropical.

 Reuben Blades is the special guest on the Spanish Harlem Orchestra's latest ACROSS 110TH STREET, a blend of salsa and Latin jazz ala Tito Puente.

 More salsa than jazz is this highly danceable album filled with talented musicians and classic full-orchestra salsa sounds.

 If it's dramatic salsa embellishments you seek with an unforgettable full orchestra sound, Spanish Harlem Orchestra's ACROSS 110TH STREET is the item of choice. 

 There's too much 'cheesy' salsa on the market today - so  maintains Guistino Riccio, leader of Bio Ritmo, and BIO RITMO seeks to eliminate the fluff from salsa with its lively, almost rocking salsa beat that just doesn't quit.

 Bio Ritmo attempts to capture the foundations of the classic salsa sound - but with a contemporary twist. If you listen hard, you can hear the rock and soul influence underlying Bio Ritmo's remakes of classic salsa - including occasional synthesizer and classic keyboard riffs.

 Bio Ritmo's concept was to capture the fervor of a bygone salsa era, injecting some of the experimental aspects missing from modern salsa without sacrificing authenticity: no easy task.

 That BIO RITMO succeeds so well is a tribute to its mastery of the style in all its nuances and history.