Search - Estudiantina Invasora :: Music From Oriente De Cuba

It will change your mood and maybe your life

09/20/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This may be the single most beautiful recording I have ever heard. If you wonder what all the buzz is about when it comes to "el son cubano", listen to this recording.Estudiantina Invasora has been around for nearly a century.
They play as a son septet and their sound is simply gorgeous.They play with such delicacy and such love for the music that no words can do them justice. In this album, you will listen as each instrument take the spotlight and the rest provide backup. The tres, for example, will be playing it's own little melody in the background while the brass frolics. Then, the tres will step up and the lead while the brass fades.Their cover is Matamoros' "El Paralitico" is sunshine itself, and "Lagrimas Negras" (another Matamoros masterpiece) will haunt you.A curveball is Caballo Viejo, a Venezuelan cumbia that has found it's way into Cuba. Quite a compliment. Here. we hear that old classic played as only a son septet can play.The rest of the tunes are Estudiantina's own, and are dripping with a lush sound that is the band's trademark. Long instrumental segments abound.The only downside: a comically bad attempt at translation of the lyrics in the notes. If you want something to listen to that can turn a bad day into a great day, this is it."