Top 20 albums - album recommendation

[benbaboon]

Hola,
for newbies like myself it's hard to evaluate the album recommendations of others in this forum as it is hard for you to figure out what's a newbie recommendation is worth.
I propose starting a thread of our 10-20 individual album recommendations.
If I put twenty recommendations up and you know 15 to be totally hot or totally sucking, you would be well
informed in your decision to ignore/explore the other 5.

I'll go first in hope that other will join me.... would be nice to score a couple of good additions to my collection.

there are so many awesome albums that are best (becuase others may be as good but at perfection there is no better) that even if I could choose the bestest... to narrow it to 20 I will have to figure out who is the bestestest... to much work so here are just really high recommended 20:

Cachaito -- Orlando Cachaito Lopez
Cachao's nephew takes traditional cuban music in his debut solo album into the 21st century mixing interesting stuff from other genres into it. a current favorite of mine.

Virgilio Marti -- Saludando a los rumberos.
Awesome Salsa album that's stressing rumba clave... hot hot hot...
many of the songs from his album "guaguanco" are on here... but with full metales.
guaguanco how was not rereleased yet... can anyone help with that?

Estrellas de Areito ---
That's what the buena vista folks and friends were playing 20 years ago.... Tata Guiness is a genious among geniouses on this one.

Gonzalo Rubalcaba -- Mi Gran Pasion

Miguel Cruz y Skins --- Noche de rumberos

Cachao -- Jam Session II , Jam session with feeling

Kip hanrahan -- Exotica, All Road are made of the flesh, Tenderness.
Some of the best new york rumberos on this non-traditional yet very cuban influenced music... awesome!

Afro Cuban all stars --- a toda cuba le gusta

Deep Rumba --- both albums released so far.
it's the kip hanrahan gang again in a somewhat more(but definitely not completely) traditional rumba music


Frikyiwah Collections 1 and 2 --
Dub mixes from europe of primarily african music... I really like these...



getting tired of typing... but will follow with more if other folks get into it...

This my thank you to the folks here for introducing me to Bill Fitch who may be afro-american but would make any cuban mother proud. I got Cal Tjader -- Roots of Acid Jazz..... a very nice compilation album of various collaborations of his (including insight) which has very little to do with Acid Jazz.

I hope Someone scored here....
-bb

[JohnnyConga]

Man I can't believe you left out My Godfather MONGO SANTAMARIA. For anyone who wants to start a collection start with MONGO he has over 70 albums recorded. Then goto Ray Baretto who is on over 500 studio session albums and over 60 of his own. Then Patato, Then Candido......... I am a collector and have over 2500 albums(relatively small compared to some) so if there is anything u r looking for I may have it... There is no such thing as Acid Jazz Nobody is dropping LSD and playing on it ...anymore......we used to... back in the 60's and 70's. ...from an old hippie......JC JOHNNY CONGA.....

[Mike]

I have nothin´to add, JC, quite right, except for one thing:
Giovanni Hidalgo, I find him especially good on Arturo Sandoval´s + Paquito´s "Reunion". As the liner notes say, Manenguito is "the human octopus". Not that wrong, is it?

[benbaboon]

JC, Mike,
I can go into my favorite mongo album --"summertime" -- with toots and diz, which I highly recommended, or my favorite Giovanni stuff (Palmieri's Palo pa rumba and others as well as batacumbele stuff)..., and my appologies to all the other awesome artists still not on this list..... so bring 'em on....
So with 2500 JC...are there 20 highly recommended albums in your collection, you can share with us? I'm sure you didn't go wrong THAT many times ;)


(Edited by benbaboon at 3:14 am on Dec. 10, 2001)

[JohnnyConga]

Man my top 20 huh.ummm..I have to think about that one. Of course anything by the young Master Giovanni.. Live at Birdland with Dave Valentin."BlackBird" phenominal solo...... Her are some of my favorites 1. El Bravo-Mongo Santamaria 2. Cachao Y Su Ritmo Caliente,from Havana to New York on CD. 3. Tambo- Tito Puente. 4. Patato y Totico 5. The New Latin Jazz Sounds of Vladimir.re-released on CD. 6. Sabu's Jazz Espagnole, 7.Sabu with Arsenio Rodriguez-Palo Congo. both re-released on CD.8.MamboRama-Night of the Living Mambo 9. Jesus Alemany's-Cubanismo! 10. Ray Baretto-Indestructible...... that should keep u busy for awhile. I can give you another list at least once a month. Johnny Congas "Top Ten".......What do u think? JC JOHNNY CONGA....

[JohnnyConga]

Correction Dave Valentin Live at the Bluenote cafe in NYC...JC...

[timo]

hi,. one of my favorite is
Buena Vista Social Club presents Omara Portuondo, its slow and is build around her voice(which is beautiful ), but you can hear the tumbao and martillo very claerly, and has next to no solos on percussion. but its a beautiful album.

[muddy323]

These are my top 20
1.Poncho Sanchez: Afro Cuban Fantasy...classic with Diane Reeves.
2.Celia Cruz & Friends: A Night of Salsa...all fire, maybe the best solo I have in my collection from Tito Puente.
3.Poncho Sanchez: Night at Kimballs East...CD or DVD, this is when El Conquero played LP's congas,which produced great sound on the DVD, great choice of songs.
4.Mongo Santamaria: Skin on Skin...classic songs,best complication CD, lots of history.
5.Jerry Gonzalez: Earthdance and Pensativo...i can't have one without the other, classic hardbop jazz, twisted with afro roots & heavy percussions.
6.Ray Barretto: Handprints and Transdance...smooth latin jazz with heavy hands, these are cool grooves.
7.Tito Puente: Golden Latin Allstars in Session & Live...pure heat,with Giovanni,Valentine,Mongo....classic.
Cal Tjader: Roots of Acid Jazz...all the hits on one CD...I own many Tjader CD's but this one is played the most.
8.Poncho Sanchez: Soul Sauce...perfect tribute to Tjader, with Ruben Estrada on vibes, another Los Angeles favorite.
9.The Conga Kings: Jazz Descargas...lots of drums,bass,horns in a sweet percussive drenched sound of classic songs.
10.Mongo Santamaria: Live At The BlackHawk...Hard Percussions with strings, classic sound.
11.Herb Alpert: Passion Dance...great percussion work,great songs,latin jazz at its best...this one took me by surprise.

This is all for now...I'm still thinking about which is worthy for this list.



Edited By muddy323 on Mar. 19 2003 at 16:52

[120decibels]

This is the top 20 CD's that I'm currently listening to. One of the things I like about latin music, however, is that I constantly uncover amazing stuff:

Mongo Santamaria -- Skin on Skin (a great compilation)

Pancho Sanchez -- A Night at Kimball's East (I agree with Muddy on this one)

Cal Tjader -- Monterey Concerts (Mongo, Willie and Cal at their best)

Jerry Gonzalez -- Rumba Para Monk (Incredibile bongo and conga work, great band)

Eddie Palmeiri -- El Rumbero Del Piano (All the best of Eddie's band, great horns, nice transitions between mambo and guauanco, great percussion)

Patato Y Totico (no comment necessary)

The Har-You Percussion Group (Ok, I'm a little biased, but this is a great album)

Tito Puente -- Top Percussion

Mongo Santamaria -- Mongo Introduces La Lupe (The beginning of a great collaboration between Mongo's band and La Lupe's charismatic voice)

John Santos -- A Tribute to The Masters (This is a new one for me, but I've been amazed. It has an incredible latin arrangement of Miles Davis' So What)

Tony Martinez -- Marferefun (Another new one for me, but also incredible)

Rumba Club -- Radio Mundo (Like I said, I'm biased, but this album has some burnin' tracks on it)

Ray Barretto -- Trancedance (with James Moody and Los
Papines)

Cuban Roots -- Cuban Roots Revisited (John Santos, Francisco Aguabella, Omar Sosa, and others. Great Bata, great congas)

Calle 54 -- Soundtrack and Video (if you haven't seen/heard this, check in out NOW)

Los Hombres Calientes -- All

Chico O'Farril -- The Heart of a Legend

Mongo Santamaria -- Brazilian Sunset

Various Artists -- The Afro-Latin Groove -- Sabroso!

Ray Barretto -- Salsa Caliente de Nu York!

I got tired of writing comments, but I think I've got a good list here of the top 20 albums that are in my changer right now.

Zach

[muddy323]

Thanks 120decibels....cause you remind me of music i need to buy, like Mongo and La Lupe, and do you have a favorite of Los Hombres Calientes CD's?....It one more CD that i want to add to my top 20 is Herb Alpert--Passion Dance...there is some serious percussion work on this CD, combined with great songs, this is latin jazz at its best, some may find this hard to believe.
Muddy

[120decibels]

Muddy323,

I own the first and third Los Hombres CD's. The first disk, which is called Los Hombres Calientes, is a good latin jazz cd with Irvin Mayfield, Bill Summers, and Jason Marsalis. It has a lot of good tunes on it.

I really like the third album, though. It is called Vol. 3 -- New Congo Square. It has a variety of music, including latin jazz. It also explores New Orleans Brass Band Music (with the Rebirth Brass Band), Reggae, and some funky jazz. Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez is on drums this time. I shouldn't have to say any more about that.

Bottom line, I like them both. I've had trouble finding the second album. I may have to order it directly from the record company.

Los Hombres has a fourth album that may already be out entitled Vol. 4 -- Voodoo Dance.

Zach



Edited By 120decibels on Mar. 19 2003 at 11:00

[muddy323]

120 decibels....that 1st song on New Conga Square is a Mother, that is some afro,it worth buying. I was able to sample that 1st song.
thanks for the info
muddy323

[Dig Gonsalves]

Anybody into Machete Ensemble?

[RitmoBoricua]

Anybody into Machete Ensemble?

John Santos you mean? I have some of his cd's, good stuff.