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Who likes LATIN JAZZ?

NOT ME, at least not for a long time now (other than JOBIM- i am referring more to cuban, afro-cuban, etc. material) but rather suddenly (within the last month or so) i started to enjoy the upbeat nature of alot of the tunes as well as the sophisticated rhythms and the exceptionally talented players. plus it so happens that a bass player named CACHAO just passed away (last week), and there were numerous musical tributes on the radio (miami). the more tracks they played, the more i appreciated the musicianship of this extremely talented player, allegedly the composer of 3000 songs. in addition, Cal Cjader, Tito Puente, Paquito D'Rivera, even Mongo Santamaria, and many others got my anglo foot tapping. i don't dance particularly well, and am not going to take mambo lessions; but the music is interesting enough even when seated. the only thing that sometimes turns me off is if the percussion, particularly too many bongos doing a "how fast and loud can you play" segment, dominates a particular song. but it doesn't happen all that often (thank goodness!), and i can go back to listening to alot of other instruments interpreting the music such as fiddles, marimbas, bari saxes, etc. SO, who shares my new-found interests in this medium, and does anybody here have any recommendations if i wanted to put together a collection of cd's representing "the best of the best"? for starters, i would have to say
CACHAO'S master sessions #1 and #2 would definitely be on my list, along with Cjader... can anyone name some cd titles for me? thanks!
french_fries

Showing 4 responses by french_fries

french_fries OP
815 posts
 
well, i thank (some of y'all) for the suggestions. funny though, i never said i didn't like LATIN PERCUSSION- otoh i think it's great, indispensable, especially the incredible variety of different sounds you hear on these recordings.
what i DID suggest is that when (specifically) bongo players start playing too long and too loud, it sounds like they are showing off rather than playing music and trying to integrate their sound with the rest of the group. this does not happen alot AS I BELIEVE I SAID ALREADY, but it was one of the reasons it took me a long time to learn to appreciate ALL of the nuances and complexities that this musical genre possesses.
so to those of you who are limited in reading comprehension skills, i would suggest that you not find offense in statements no one made. i'm trying to learn as much as i can about new and different types of music, and not seeking out those with nothing constructive to offer.
french_fries OP
815 posts
 
i would suggest that this discussion belongs to anyone who loves american jazz in all of its virtually countless forms, and then turns a corner one day and really starts to dig something that, at first listen, seems to sound mainly like dance music. i've always liked calypso, reggae, socca (sp?) that my friends from trinidad, jamaica, and the bahamas have introduced me to, but the salsa/mambo stuff didn't hook me until fairly recently. now i'm putting the bill evans and milt jackson cd's aside for a bit while i explore this new material, and i'm really getting into it. so much so that i wanted to get as much feedback as possible about the who's who in this music. once the names of some of the records
are out there i can integrate them alphabetically between j. coltrane, joni mitchell, hank mobley, planxty, and bob wills. so thanks again, and i'm glad to see many others here that listen to latin jazz as well as mainstream jazz and classical music. (and folk, and rock, metal, electronica...)
french_fries OP
815 posts
 
So, i would like to know more about the different forms of latin jazz, and i came across some terminology that i don't understand. perhaps someone here can explain and elaborate on these spanish descriptions:
1.danzon 2.guajira 3.descargas 4.salsa 5.mambo
I'm sure there are many other forms especially as it relates to different countries, i.e.columbia, puerto rico, etc.
i don't always know what exactly i'm listening to, but it gets really good, just like the stuff i'm more familiar with from n.orleans, st.louis, chicago, l.a., n.y. (oh, and texas of course...)
french_fries OP
815 posts
 
there's some great information here- thanks!
the station of interest is WDNA.ORG - latin jazz from 8pm to midnite (EASTERN TIME) on the internet with playlists as well. i'm really getting into the music more and more all the time.
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