BuzzFlash Reviews

BUZZFLASH REVIEWS

A great enchanting sampler of Cuban music.

From an online reviewer:

"A superb collection of Cuban songs that explores the various styles with complete professionalism. Some of the BVSC stars are here, such as Ibrahim Ferrer and Eliades Ochoa. Ferrer opens the CD to get you right into the mood with his beautiful voice soaring behind driving rhythms as he improvises while a chorus encourages his improvisation. Every track is superb, rich with the flavor of Cuba, con sabor. I can't get enough of Eliades Ochoa so this CD was a delight as he sings in his soulful manner one of my favorite songs "Al Vaiven a mi Carreta". The character of this song is perfect for Ochoa as it laments the life of a field worker.

The variety is one of the strong points of this CD as it constantly changes so you never get tired of a particular style, variety IS the spice of life after all. If you're into Cuban music this is a super collection of songs by some of the best performers. Sierra Maestra knocks your socks off with their beautiful song "El Reloj de Pastora". There is a play on words as they say "Se me paraba", (chorus, mi reloj) as I was in your doorway, funny sexual stuff if you speak Spanish. Add this to your Cuban collection, the booklet is superb, complete with a glossary of Cuban music terms and a bilingual biography on each featured artist. This music will have you dancing or at least moving your feet, if not you need your pulse checked."

Another online reviewer notes:

"Putumayo has introduced me to so much great music! They have really good taste! They choose music you wouldn't normally hear and yet it's not too folksy-it's great to listen to. This is one of my favorite CDs by them. It cheers you up so much to listen to it and you can just imagine the bright blue sea off the coast of Cuba. In fact, this CD was so good- every song- that it got me into Cuban music and I've been delving into Cuban music ever since."


From Putumayo World Music:

The music of Cuba developed from a unique set of historical and social circumstances. African slaves, brought to work on the Spanish sugar plantations, soon outnumbered the European colonists. The attitude of the Spanish political and religious institutions towards African culture, while undeniably oppressive, was more open than in some other colonial societies. Catholic priests did their best to convert the Africans to Christianity, but they overlooked their worship of African deities as long as they gave them Christian names. In fact, santeria, a religion that combines Catholicism with African deities and rituals, is still a key part of Cuban spiritual life.

Most of the songs on this collection are a style called son, (lit. "sound") one of the most popular and influential Cuban musical forms. Son developed around the turn of the century in Oriente, a region in eastern Cuba. Migrating musicians brought son west to Havana in the 1920s, where it exploded in popularity. The fundamental element of the son is a rhythmic pattern called clave (lit. "key"). Played on two wooden sticks, called claves, this repetitive beat is the foundation upon which all of the other musical elements are structured. It gives son the propulsive swing that has endeared it to people around the world. Most contemporary salsa is based on son.

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