Search - Ng La Banda :: Toda Cuba Baila Con

NG La Banda (pronounced Ah-nae-he) is short hand for Nueva Generacion La Banda, a group that emerged in Havana in the late '80s organized by former members of Irakere (such as reedmen Jose Luis Cortes and Carlos Averhoff), Ritmo Oriental, and the band of the late pianist Emiliano Salvador. (As a bonus singer Issac Delgado, since a star in his own right, can be heard in several tracks here.) Not surprisingly then the writing has a strong jazz influence but over a solid dance music foundation. This album, part of the Toda Cuba Baila series that also includes releases by Irakere and Los Van Van, is a sample of the bands sophisticated but muscular dance music. Check the brash, brassy salsa sound as in "Necesito Una Amiga," the irresistible "Los Sitios Entero," the Brazilian flavored "Songo Blue," or the Afro-Cuban religious music rooted "Elegua Soyu" and "Yemanya Asesu." This is dance music worth a closer listening. --Fernando Gonzalez