A brilliant, hypnotic journey to the heart of rhumba music.
04/08/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"From the opening achingly beautiful poetry, mystically half-sung, half-whispered by Ruben Bladés to the soaring choruses of conga player Puntilla Orlando Rios, through the furious interplay of trap drummers El Negro Horacio Hernandez and Robbie Ameen, to the introspective reimagining of Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love" by Andy Gonzalez's bass, past Jerry Gonzalez's abstract metallic trumpet carressing "The Bronx with Palm Trees," into the insanely sensual tease offered by the truly dynamite singer Ciamara Laugart on "Si! No!", and out again, this recording brings the timeless heart of Havana, San Juan, and other locales in the universe into New York City 1999, where rhumba music, the style, the attitude, the flavor, and its deep soul carries those obsessed and possessed into a place of complete abandon. This music cooks!!!!! Emphasising mainly percussion and vocals, the spare but powerful arangements and production by Kip Hanrahan keep the focus where it should be, on the rhythm. This is sure to go down as a classic, capturing the raw intensity of the best Afro-Carribean jazz musicians in NYC of this era (including Milton Cardona and Richard Flores), who let their hair down, call in the spirits, and set feet on fire as the millenium approaches."
Rhythm for all seasons
07/16/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Forget world music. This is people getting back to roots after having travelled the world. Perfect music for almost everything -- body dancing for the long drive through mesas, renewal for a work break, energy for the start of a party, dance for the end of one. And you can't begin to count the rhythms playing off each other. Best album I've bought all year."
This is a most moving recording that ever I've experienced.
04/04/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The acappellas are astounding and breathtaking...The 1st rumba is deep, intense, capturing and liberating at the same time. You must sit and listen intently."
If you appreciate congas at all...
bluejim | San Leandro, California United States | 02/06/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"...you'll just laugh out loud. Paoli Mejias & Richie Flores are gods of the quinto."