Concert: Spanish Harlem Orchestra

Spanish Harlem Orchestra at Handelsbeurs, Ghent (April 20th 2008)
Click pictures for originals. © Handelsbeurs/Wannabes 2008

Last sunday, the temperature rose above 20°C in Ghent for the first time this year, and I bet the Spanish Harlem Orchestra had something to do with that. The 14-member salsa outfit set the beautifully restored Handelsbeurs on fire with an afternoon of infectious rumba and salsa del Barrio. Maybe you remember SHO from their 2007 album United We Swing, a timewarp into salsa discotheques from the 50s to the 70s (read our review here!)

Lead by pianist/director Oscar Hernandez, the orchestra performed like a well-oiled machine - even a little too routinely at the beginning, when the songs lacked soul. Hernandez himself didn't really have his mind set on the concert, sitting passively behind the piano as if he was more concerned about his wife and kids back home. But all that was more than compensated by the fire and enthusiasm of the three vocalists, Rey de la Paz (in the picture above), Willie Torres and Marco Bermudez, who took turns in impressing us with vocal improvisations, cheesy dance steps and charismatic audience encouragements.


The concert started off politely with a formal introduction of all 14 band members, exactly how United We Swing starts too (here's the line-up: 4 horns, sax, flute, congas, timbales, bongos, bass, piano and 3 vocals). But from "El Tiempo Del Palladium" - about a well-known venue in Harlem - the tone was set: nostalgic but steamy salsa, rumba and guaguanco, uniting the best of decades of Nuyorican music.

"Se Formó la Rumba" was the kickoff for the numerous dancing schools and salsa couples to take over the dancefloor - a very suitable wooden floor by the way. And we were quite bummered that our dance partner couldn't make it :)
We caught a first glimpse of the impressive musical abilities of the band during "Pa' Gozar", when each member was allowed some solo time. Especially the percussionist trio was tight as hell during the whole concert, not missing one beat while chatting and laughing away.


After an hour of intense swinging, the vocalists took a break, and the fierce salsa dura was replaced by jazzy instrumentals. "Danzón For My Father" started with a stirring solo by Hernandez himself, and made us think of the legendary Rubén Gonzales (of Buena Vista Social Club fame). The weak bolero "Espérame En El Cielo" was the only flaw in the two-hour set, but was soon forgiven: the careful tempo building in "Salsa Pa'l Bailador" and the rhytmical rapture of "Ariñañara" brought the concert to an explosive height. Only one bis song ("Sacala Bailar"), but when that bis lasts more than ten minutes and makes everyone go out of their minds, nobody minds!

Thanks to Greenhouse Talent!

Spanish Harlem Orchestra - Se Formó La Rumba mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon
Spanish Harlem Orchestra - Danzón For My Father mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon

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Pop/R&B: Rue Melo

Rue Melo is a true world citizen. Born in Paris, raised by a French mother and Uruguayan father, and now living in California, she is a melting pot of cultures and colours. This is reflected on "Enamorada", a latin-flavoured R&B ballad in which Rue sings in Spanish, English and French. Her brother plays the acoustic guitar part, which - in combination with all those sexy languages - gives the song a sultry summer atmosphere. Rue's voice shifts between the poppy glitter of Alicia Keys and the naughty exoticism of Rihanna, a bold comparison, but if she works a little on the lyrics I'm sure she has a great future ahead. Her self-titled debut album has four more Spanish-language songs, check it out.

Rue Melo - Enamorada mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon

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Back on Track: Pop & Rock

The White Stripes are one of the few alternative rock bands that are equally popular in the English-speaking world as in Latin America. They often manage to fill stadiums throughout the continent, and their albums sell quite a lot on the (black) market. And listening to their latest album Icky Thump, Jack and Meg White mixed their share of Mexican influences into their heavy rock riffs (the videos for singles "Icky Thump" and "Conquest" reveal a fascination for mariachis and bullfighting as well). But the news that they would do a single in Spanish still came as a big suprise - usually the crossover is made in the other direction. It's a Spanish version of the already excellent Patti Page cover "Conquest", published as "Conquista" by Las Rayas Blancas. I'm especially loving the Versión Acústica de Mariachi, though both songs suffer a little from the horrible translation. Still kudos for a great idea!
PS: the audio is ripped from YouTube, and thus of extremely horrible quality, sorry. For full HQ files I redirect you to the iTunes Store!


Chambao engage themself for illegal immigrants on "Papeles Mojados". Keeping true to their original recipy of flamenco-infused electronic music, this track also has a remarkable influence of Arabic instruments and sounds. Which is probably because illegal immigration in Spain, Chambao's home country, is mostly an affair of Africans crossing the sea from Morocco in improvised boats. La Mari sings the fate of the most unfortunate immigrants:

Miles de sombras cada noche trae la marea
Navegan cargados de ilusiones que en la orilla se quedan
[...]
Muchos no llegan, se hunden sus sueños
Papeles mojados, papeles sin dueño

(The tide brings thousands of shadows every night
They fare full of illusions that stay on the border
Many don't arrive, they dreams drowned
Soaked documents, documents without owners)

Despite the serious theme, it's quite a poppy tune. Hopefully it manages to raise awareness a little. "Papeles Mojados" is the first single off a new Chambao album, Con Otro Aire. Be sure to check out the beautiful video below as well!

The White Stripes - Conquista mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon
Chambao - Papeles Mojados mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon

The White Stripes - Conquista

Chambao - Papeles Mojados

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Salsa: Spanish Harlem Orchestra - United We Swing

In the late '60s and early '70s, New York was at the very heart of the newborn salsa scene. Home to many Puerto Rican immigrants, Spanish Harlem was a melting pot of rhythms, dances and ideas. Each member of the Spanish Harlem Orchestra has an extensive history in that scene - they worked with legends like Celia Cruz, Hector Lavoe and Tito Puente. Band director Oscar Hernandez joins the talent of 13 excellent musicians in his big-band salsa orchestra, reminiscing the heydays of Nuyorican salsa. Sounds promising? Their previous album Across 110th Street even won a Grammy!

And the new album United We Swing is -dare I say- an essential album for salsa lovers. It bursts with nostalgia, but not the kind you can practice sitting down quietly: this is a dance record par excellence. Most of all it's a tribute to the early salsa clubs - third track "El Tiempo Del Palladium" is even named after one. Maybe the lyrics are not that clever, but who cares? As long as the music is solid! Incessant congas and timbales (courtesy of Luisito Quintero), jazzy improvisations on the piano, and chant-and-response vocals all contribute to a general feeling of positivism, a feel-good vibe.

Examples: "Plena Con Sabor" (try to follow that rhythm with your inelegant white ass) and "Salsa Pa'l Bailador". As the title says, excellent for dancing. Both tracks are intertwined with countless improvisations, several layers of percussion, and stirring trumpets. And as a bonus, Paul Simon signs for a salsa rework of his evergreen "Late in the Evening" - an obsolete track in my opinion, but I guess it'll help sell some cd's.

Conclusion: even for people not easily impressed by big names or elaborate dancing, these sunny tunes are still a great way to start the summer. Hernandez and his all-star orchestra show us classic salsa is still very much alive!

Spanish Harlem Orchestra - Plena Con Sabor mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon
Spanish Harlem Orchestra - Salsa Pa'l Bailador mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon

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Electronic: Luz Mob - Luz Interpretations

Luz Fleming, aka Luz Mob (sounds cooler, doesn't it?) was born and raised in San Francisco, but if I were to invent his biography myself, judging by his new (instrumental) album Luz Interpretations I'd say Frisco is just his current residence, the last stop after a long journey through the Carribean and Central-American area: it seems as if he had learned cumbia in Colombia, absorbed ska, dub and reggae in Jamaica and picked up some reggeaton here and there, before he finally added a jazzy electronic touch to all this in the United States. Sounds like a whole lotta styles!

Luz Mob may sound familiar to fans of the Cuban-English band Ska Cubano, with the difference that Luz is a lot more laid back. Nevertheless, "Luz Interpretations" is not just an album for laying back and smoking joints. In fact, it's also the perfect album for waking up and getting out of bed on the right side. Or, as a colleague on 3Hive described it so well: “Recommended for [...] the lazy days you call in "sick" to work and end up dancing all morning in your pajamas.” "The Selecter", for example, is a great cover of the 70's ska revival band of the same name. If this song won't make you want to joyfully move your feet, I assume you don't have any!

For a chance to win this album, click here!
And as an extra, enjoy the video of cumbia-esque "La Subienda" below.

Luz Mob - The Selecter mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon

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Crossing Over: Beyoncé, Shakira, Alejandro Fernandez, Don Omar, Rell, Zion, Akon, Daddy Yankee, Fergie

Sometimes we just have to give in to the acts being pushed by the music business. And a lot of crossing-over is going on between the Anglo and Latino industry lately. An overview:

R&B meets Pop Latino

Beyoncé is pretty serious about marketing herself into the latino audience (as we reported earlier). Not only has she recorded a (stale and uninspired) r&b song with that other pop queen of the moment, Shakira - it's called "Beautiful Liar", check out the videos below. She also realized that, if you're an artist that wants to get to the heart of latin pop culture, there's only one thing to do: record a theme song to a telenovela. On "Amor Gitano" she joins Mexican pop idol Alejandro Fernandez on a gypsy/flamenco influenced ballad. I'd say her accent is improving (however, ayayayayaaaay sounds the same in every language). The novela is about Zorro, by the way :)

Reggaeton meets Hiphop

Don Omar is announcing his breakthrough into the English-language market. For the 10th time, that is. "Calm My Nerves" is still mainly in Spanish, but at least he's is trying. The Jamaican dancehall influence is undeniable on this song, another move to appeal to a more international public? Anyway, both El Don and guest rapper Rell do a really good job rhyming over the (suprisingly fast) reggaeton beat. A dancefloor topper, and sure to stick on the radio too:

Baila como diosa sobre la luna
Y en una bola, vuelta tu cabeza

Baby-faced reggaetonero Zion is dropping his first album without companion Lennox soon, it will be called "The Perfect Melody". That's right, in English! He's even got a track with the Anglo r&b star of the moment, Akon. "The Way She Moves" is smooth and overproduced like any other r&b song, but Zion was part of my former favorite reggaeton duo so I'll cut him some slack ;)

And last but not least - here's the first single of Daddy Yankee's 8th album El Cartel. "Impacto" features Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas, and I must say I like how it sounds, even though I can't stand either one of them. Maybe it's the excellent work of reknowed producer Scott Storch?

(PS: Watch this blog closely the next few days... a special feature is coming up very soon!)

Don Omar ft. Rell - Calm My Nerves mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon
Daddy Yankee ft. Fergie - Impacto mp3
Beyoncé & Alejandro Fernandez - Amor Gitano mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon
Beyonce & Shakira - Beautiful Liar:

Beyonce - Bello Embustero (Beautiful Liar Solo Spanish Version):

Beyonce & Alejandro Fernandez - Amor Gitano:

Don Omar ft. Rell - Calm My Nerves

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Pop News & Videos

A lot of movement in the latino pop business lately! Here's a roundup of the most important news:

Maybe you haven't noticed, but a lot of worldwide pop idols have latino roots (Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, Nelly Furtado, Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias, and of course Shakira). And while some of them choose to do nothing with their heritage (i.e. Christina), lately the trend seems to be going back to singing in Spanish. Ricky Martin issued an MTV Unplugged album mostly in Spanish last november, even collaborating with less famous (but very talented) latinos like La Mari (of Chambao) and Tommy Torres (video: "Tu Recuerdo"). Ricky's latest song "Pégate" (video) is so reminiscent of his hits back in the 90's, you just have to scream ¡Un Dos Trés!.
The new CD, together with his humanitarian work, even got him an award for Artist of the Year 2006 from the Latin Artists Recording Academy. But looking back at all the good stuff we heard last year, I think that award should have gone to new talent, not to an established star like RIcky...

Another pop icon who's well aware of her roots is Jennifer Lopez. J-Lo, recently elected Most Influential Hispanic by People Magazine, is planning to release an all-Spanish album this year. "Que Hiciste" (video) is the first single. It's not very original, sadly.. she could have done something special for the latinos!

Nelly Furtado has brought us songs in Spanish before (two with Juanes, and one with Calle 13) but apprently now she's working on an album entirely in Spanish. We can only dream of Timbaland producing some reggaeton beats...

Even Beyoncé is marketing herself into the latino audience. Miss Knowles has recorded a Spanish version of her latest single "Irreplaceable". She said she thinks Spanish is sexy, and "Imprescindible" (video) is only the first crossover of many to come. She even talks of recording a song with Shakira, whom she admires for her "great sound and sexy moves".

Shakira herself recently returned a favor for Alejandro Sanz by joining him on his new album (like he did on Fijación Oral in 2005). "Te Lo Agradezco" (video) is a typical Sanz song: a bit too soft and romantic for me, though I always liked his flamenco-style vocal improvisation. Shakira's whispering is quite irresistible, and she looks extraordinarily beautiful in the video (kinda reminds me of mi novia ;))

(Sources: VivirLatino, Latin Gossip, Latin Notes Now)

PS: Writing this post, I promised myself to keep my credibility by not posting any mp3s of these barely orginal, flaccid pop songs. But what the hell: here's Te Lo Agradezco Pero No (removed 06/03).

Alejandro Sanz & Shakira - Te Lo Agradezco Pero No mp3 video buy@iTunes buy@CD Universe

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Rock: Cage9

I consider myself a rock lover, as much in Western music as in Latin music. I tend towards a more alternative sound, but I appreciate Motel or Green Day just as much. But about El Motivo, the Spanish version of the new album by LA pop-punkers Cage9, I can't really say anything good.

This record combines the worst of modern rock music. First, Cage9 takes the dreadful riffs and pale sound of late 90's nu-metal (yes, that horrible mixture of punk and rap we all tried to forget as soon as Limp Bizkit split up). Second, 'singing' and 'lyrics' are replaced by 'shouting' and 'cheap sentiment', borrowed from the modern emo-core movement. Okay, I admit the choruses are quite catchy, but without a decent song structure, they just sound cheap.

So for the first time in one and a half year, I'm not putting a song online of an album I've reviewed. It's just too afwul. If you really want to listen, check out their myspace.

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Pop: Moby & Amaral

Ever heard Moby sing in Spanish? Here's your chance: "Escapar" is the Spanish version of Slipping Away (which you must have heard on the radio by now). His Spanish is not that bad actually, but the lovely Eva Amaral is a far better singer. The song was already sad and melancholic (with Moby's patent synth violins climaxing the sentiment), and adding Eva's broken voice makes the song almost depressing. But also slightly more beautiful :)

Escapar is on the Spanish and Latin American version of Go - The Very Best Of Moby, which you can buy at CD Universe (for a godawful amount of money). If you live in Spain, you can get the single at the Spanish iTunes Store. And the reworked video is worth the watch too!

Moby & Amaral - Escapar mp3 video lyrics buy@iTunes (Spain only!) buy@CD Universe

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