Music of Cuba: 1909-1951 [Columbia]

by Music Of Cuba 1909-51 / Various

Overview

It seems reasonable to presume that without the unexpected success of the Buena Vista Social Club at the end of the 1990s, Columbia would not have been interested in digging through its vaults for vintage Cuban pop recordings. Whatever it takes to unlock a flood of ethnic music, however, should be welcomed. And you certainly get a wealth of it on this disc, which assembles 25 tracks from 1909-1951, although all but three are from 1926-1942. It's lighthearted, for the most part, danceable popular music (although Sexteto Nacional's "Siboney" has a nice melancholy aura), roaming among the various branches of the Cuban sound, including danzon, son, bolero, rumba, and conga. Considering the age of the recordings, the remastering is exceptional, although there's still a lot of noise on some of the cuts, probably unavoidably so. There's certainly a lot of variety, with men and women singers, cuts with barely any instrumental accompaniment, full orchestras, an unaccompanied choral song (save for a brief bit of bagpipe near the beginning), numbers with clear American pop and jazz influences, and more. There's even one name that will be known to most of the general public -- Desi Arnaz -- heard doing congas with his orchestra on two tracks, done in 1939 and 1940, respectively. Includes detailed liner notes by Dick Spottswood in both English and a Spanish translation. ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date:	07/04/2000
Label:	Columbia/Legacy
UPC:	0074646223420
Rank:	132110

Tracks

1. Unknown
2. Se Acab¿¿ la Choricera
3. Miguel, Los Hombres No Lloran  - Julio Torres Biart  -  Sexteto Occidente
4. Somos Ocho Orientales
5. Tus Manos Blancas
6. As Mozas de Vilanova
7. Siboney  - Ernesto Lecuona  -  Sexteto Nacional
8. Mujeres Enamorenme  -  Sexteto Nacional
9. Noche Az¿¿l  - Ernesto Lecuona
10. Masabi
11. Pacto con el Diablo  - Albert Socarras
12. The Music Goes 'Round and Around  - Eddie Farley  - Red Hodgson  - Mike Riley
13. Conga  - Augusto Coen
14. Mulatica
15. Tab¿¿  -  Lecuona Cuban Boys  - Ernesto Lecuona
16. Rumba Tambah  - Rafael Hernandez  -  Lecuona Cuban Boys
17. Rumbas Cubanas  - Eliseo Grenet  -  Lecuona Cuban Boys
18. El Maraquero  -  Antobal's Cubans
19. A Centavo el Mazo
20. Cachita  -  Antobal's Cubans  - Rafael Hernandez  - Bernardo Sancristobal
21. La Gonga en Nueva York  - Desi Arnaz
22. Impromptu  - Desi Arnaz
23. El Muerto Se Fue de Rumba  - Rafael Blanco  - Rafael Blanco Suazo
24. La Reina del Gauguanc¿¿  - Alberto Iznaga  - A. Rodriguez
25. Como Ayer

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Antobal's Cubans   Primary Artist
Alberto Iznaga   Primary Artist
Sexteto Nacional   Primary Artist
Albert Socarras   Primary Artist,Flute,Sax (Alto)
Lecuona Cuban Boys   Primary Artist
Desi Arnaz   Primary Artist
Sexteto Occidente   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Desi Arnaz   Performer,Composer
Rafael Hernandez   Composer
Harry Coster   Restoration
Antobal's Cubans   Performer
A. Rodriguez   Composer
Sexteto Nacional   Performer
Sexteto Occidente   Performer
Patti Matheny   A&R
Howard Fritzson   Art Direction
Rafael Blanco Suazo   Composer
Red Hodgson   Composer
Julio Torres Biart   Composer
Eddie Farley   Composer
Matt Cavaluzzo   Transfers
Alberto Iznaga   Performer
Cristobal Diaz   Liner Notes
Albert Socarras   Composer
Rafael Blanco   Composer
Bernardo Sancristobal   Composer
Mike Riley   Composer
Darcy Proper   Mastering
Eliseo Grenet   Composer
Lecuona Cuban Boys   Performer
Augusto Coen   Composer
Chika Azuma   Design
Ernesto Lecuona   Composer
Steven Berkowitz   A&R