General Latin Music

1. Penas Argentinas by Jorge Szajko &     Orquesta Salvaje
2. Marimba y Bombo Leguero by Horacio Strijer

  Horacio Straijer's MARIMBA Y BOMBO LEQUERO is a surprisingly relaxing mix of minimalist jazz and Argentinean folk music of many kinds; including Andean, a style of music usually associated with panpipes and flutes.

 Horacio Straijers' marimba playing has the crisp, clear sound of a classically-trained musician, but his interests and accomplishments on simple bomba drum and acoustic guitar are more rooted in folk music.

 MARIMBA Y BOMBO LEQUERO should have cross-genre appeal: ethnic, jazz, easy listening, new age, classical - just about anyone seeking something different will find MARIMBA Y BOMBO LEQUERO difficult to categorize yet  fine, skilled music.

 Jorge Daniel Szajko just might be the greatest multi-instrumentalist in the world: who else plays melodica, violin, piano, Spanish gutiar, oboe, moxeno, tenor sax, soprano sax, cello AND bass?

 He even plays all the instruments in the string section of Orquestra Savaje (overdubbed of course) on the tunes which feature a string section.

 PENAS ARGENTINAS itself sides toward the post-1960 avant guard style, though not as "outside" as some jazz musicians have chosen.

 Surprisingly, two of nine compositions are solo piano pieces.

 All the tunes were composed by Szajko: all are instrumentals, and powerful jazz/folk arrangements.

 The 'Red Hot' series of recordings has begun to raise AIDS awareness around the world - and while we're at it, let's have some fun with musical collaborations. Some of these collaborations work out surprisingly well considering how divergent the artists' musical backgrounds are.

  Of all the 'Red Hot' series recordings we've heard so far, RED HOT & RIO works the best. The mild cover art gives a hint of what bossa nova, tropical, samba and other Brazilian forms are played and sung with a sense of fun.  The rock, pop, soul and D.J. spinners all play Brazilian music with a sense of pleasure.

 RED HOT & LATIN aka SILENCIO=MUERTE is a different bag. The cover art is rather unpleasant: a hint of what lies inside, which is a mix of irreverent fun, cross-cultural experiments and painful music.

 Sepultura's 'War' is a style of music I've heard referred to as 'death metal'. And Los Lobos, with Money Mark, does a pleasant 'Pepe and Irene'.

 Los Fabulosos Cadillacs get together with Fishbone to do a hilarious version of 'What's New Pussycat', Juan Perro's 'Historia de la Radio' is interesting, and Geggy Tah and King Chango team up for 'Whoever You Are' to prove that rap doesn't have to be threatening and disgusting.

 And, some folks may wish to purchase RED HOT AND LATIN just to hear Melissa Etheridge sing 'Sintener a Donde IR' in Spanish.

 Can anyone listen to LATIN LOUNGE and not think of people drinking cocktails in a James Bond movie? Lounge music is the essence of cool for the last decade, and LATIN LOUNGE may be the best collection in Putumayo's lounge series.

 Can't understand the Latin words? Who cares! Don't' like electronic treatments of lounge music? You'll forget this prejudice here  - besides, not all the tunes are such.

 LATIN LOUNGE's artists come from Argentina, Cuba, Brazil, Columbia, Mexico and the USA. 

 The biggest surprise is cut 11, featuring Deepak Chopra! Paired with Adriana Castelazo from Mexico, the music is seductive r&b like Los Lobos occasionally does.

 Roberto Poveda's 'Sueno Mama' from Cuba gets my nod as a favorite - it features a light acoustic groove with a mild electric guitar and gentle horns. Each time I listen (four times thus far) I love LATIN LOUNGE even more - it's that kind of record.

  Romano Zanotti is a singer and acoustic guitarist who has spent much of his career singing in clubs in Paris. He started out in the 1950s with a Paraguayan group, but since then he's explored the music of South America as well as his mother's home country Italy.

 The surprising thing for me (and I suspect many other listeners) is learning how Italy and South America have been influencing each other musically for many years.  Thousands of Italians migrated to South America in the 19th and 20th centuries.

 Listening to Roman Zanotti's DAGLI APPENNINI ALLE ANDE a naive listener might think Italy and South America was one place: a most successful fusion indeed.

 Romano Zanotti may or may not rise to the level of success he enjoyed s a member of Los Machucambos, but he has proven he's an important voice on the world music scene, and DAGLI APPENNINI ALLE ANDE is an essential addition to any serious Latin music collection.

  If Flor de Luna is more of a project than a group, it's hard to say: MEXICO, MAGICO, MISTICO features many different artists. Some, like Gerado Gutierrez Bernal, appear on several tracks, while many others are on only one or two tracks.

 The music not only bounces around Mexico but South America. Some of it's contemporary, but still very traditional. Some tunes are an attempt to re-create the music of the pre-Spanish indigenous peoples, which then mixes with jazz and classical elements.  You might even call this 'new acoustic music', as there are no discernable electric instruments (until cut 10, which features an accordion and a jazzy electric hollow body).

 Whatever is going on in MEXICO, MAGICO, MISTICO, it sure is interesting: you never know what's going to happen next. Ancient keeps fusing with modern in ways you'd never anticipate.  There's a wonderful liner note booklet which helps explain things; but it doesn't have an English translation.

 I love the sounds, though some of the flutes imitate birds so well I originally thought they were birds.

 The great Indian violinist Dr. L. Subramanian even shows up for a solo on cut 1, 'Cuatro Vientos'.

 Whatever Flor de Lunda is, I like it - and MEXICO, MAGICO, MISTICO is a winner.

CHAVEZ RAVINE may be Ry Cooder's strangest recording yet. Many of the songs are co-written by Cooder himself, and refer to a fantasy about the former poor Mexican suburb of Los Angeles known as Chavez Ravine, which was torn down in an urban renewal project over 50 years ago.   Some of the tunes celebrate Mexican-American culture; others are pure protest pieces.

 The lineup of musicians varies with every tune: everything from a trio with Son Joachim on drums to a full nine-piece band with horns.

 Ry Cooder has been  bringing Mexican-American and Hawaiian musicians together for decades, but here on CHAVEZ RAVINE they sound a lot less Hawaiian than country - and somehow this works.

 The weakest tunes on CHAVEZ RAVINE are the ones on which Ry supplies the lead vocal; the best ones have Willie G, former lead vocalist of the Three Midnighters, on vocal. Will also co-wrote some of the best tunes on CHAVEZ RAVINE.

 On cut 12, Flaco Jiminez supplies his spot on accordion to a great Norteno number written by Rita Arvizv and sung by her two daughters: this is the type of song people expect when Ry and Flaco get together.

 Cut 11 is interesting, as Cooder sings with a bit of jazz lilt: this may signal a direction for Ry and is his most pleasant vocal thus far.

 Listen to Bla Pahinui sing on cut 14, 'Third Base Dodger Stadium': what a great country hit this could be! It's the story of how people raised in Chavez Stadium refer to their old home - a very moving story: someone should take this tune to Nashville!

 CHAVEZ RAVINE puts a listener through emotional changes - but then, isn't that what the best music is supposed to do?