Siembra may be my favorite album, period. ¡El Mejor!
Showing posts with label salsa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label salsa. Show all posts
Sunday, February 22, 2026
Thursday, August 7, 2025
Monday, July 3, 2023
Can Music Be Perfect? Vol. 102
From the inviting intro on tres, to the compulsively swinging percussion, to Ismael Quintana's vocals, to the awesome big-band horn arrangements, to the master's solo, channeling a little McCoy Tyner. 50 years old this year, and sounding better than the day it was born... Wow.
Monday, February 15, 2021
Monday, March 27, 2017
Why can't some songs go on forever?
Only three short minutes of this groove... it's just cruel, Eddie.
Friday, May 23, 2014
Friday, April 4, 2014
Can Music Be Perfect? Vol. 42
My favorite SHO track. I couldn't cha cha cha if my life depended on it... too bad for me! If I go to heaven, God will let me play trombone or bari in this band... Wishful thinking, I know...
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Pacific Mambo Orchestra
Chuy Varela gave their new album a nice plug on KCSM this week. They sound fantastic. The economics of a big band, salsa or otherwise, can't be all that favorable, so get out and support them. Wish I knew how to dance, but listening is good too.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Can Music Be Perfect? Vol. 23
The album version is a little bit better musically, but Rubén's bell-bottoms, goofy haircut, and sweaty upper lip are pretty damn irresistible. Not to mention El Profesor Joe Torres on the piano, and a sound for the ages.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Can Music Be Perfect? Vol. 1
It was certainly a perfect summer afternoon yesterday in downtown San Jose for the final sets of the San Jose Jazz Festival. On the salsa stage at 6 p.m., Fito Reinoso y su Ritmo y Armonia sizzled in front of a beautiful San Jose rainbow crowd. Playing salsa Cuban style, the band is a well-oiled machine, and Reinoso is a charismatic front man. His baritone is so rich I kept wishing for a ballad, but the band and the dancers in the crowd would have none of that. The horns were tight, the timbales driving the rhythm without punishing your eardrums, the piano providing that propulsive montuno riff. The answer, in short, is yes.
Earlier we caught the first half hour of Miguel Zenón's quartet. The band seemed tentative and a bit disorganized at first, but by the time I left to check out some other stages, they were cooking, mastering tough chord changes and bizarre meters as if it were the 12-bar blues. Zenón plants his feet and wobbles around on bent knees while he solos on alto. I'm not sure I've heard a better saxophonist in some time.
We walked by the main stage twice, hearing a bit of Ramsey Lewis one way and then George Duke/ David Sanborn coming back. Is it funk jazz? Smooth jazz? Arena jazz? Whatever it is, it's popular, and it kind of sucks.
Earlier we caught the first half hour of Miguel Zenón's quartet. The band seemed tentative and a bit disorganized at first, but by the time I left to check out some other stages, they were cooking, mastering tough chord changes and bizarre meters as if it were the 12-bar blues. Zenón plants his feet and wobbles around on bent knees while he solos on alto. I'm not sure I've heard a better saxophonist in some time.
We walked by the main stage twice, hearing a bit of Ramsey Lewis one way and then George Duke/ David Sanborn coming back. Is it funk jazz? Smooth jazz? Arena jazz? Whatever it is, it's popular, and it kind of sucks.
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