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Babalu Aye by Chucho Valdes and Irakere
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fave it Latin Jazz | Salsa
7 tracks | 50 minutes
Released Sep 2006
on Bembe
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- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 05:44 Solo Te Echaron Un Medio lyrics BUY MP3 05:44 Solo Te Echaron Un Medio lyrics "GIFT MP3" 05:44 Solo Te Echaron Un Medio
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 06:04 Por Romper El Coco lyrics BUY MP3 06:04 Por Romper El Coco lyrics "GIFT MP3" 06:04 Por Romper El Coco
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 06:19 Feliz Cumpleanos lyrics BUY MP3 06:19 Feliz Cumpleanos lyrics "GIFT MP3" 06:19 Feliz Cumpleanos
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 06:17 Esta Noche lyrics BUY MP3 06:17 Esta Noche lyrics "GIFT MP3" 06:17 Esta Noche
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- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:57 La Comparsa lyrics BUY MP3 04:57 La Comparsa lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:57 La Comparsa
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 14:00 Babalu Aye lyrics BUY MP3 14:00 Babalu Aye lyrics "GIFT MP3" 14:00 Babalu Aye
Cuban timba with jazzy arrangements and folkloric experimentation featuring lazaro Ros
Editorial review
Irakere came on the scene in the late '70s with a style of Latin jazz that incorporated soaring jazz brass with quite traditional Cuban rhythms, and punctuated by electric guitars and a funky bass. In the years since, Irakere music has been characterized by a hot jazz sound with a very danceable beat. Babalu Ay? closes a circle of sorts for Irakere. Most of the songs on this album are salsa Cubana, some sounding very much like the original New York salsa of years past. But of course, it's salsa with the Irakere flair: electric guitars with the distortion cranked up come in and out; the horn section plays tightly, then loosens considerably in the solos, putting little relaxed ornaments around each phrase, then suddenly tightens up again; the whole band chants phrases in unison. Then after plenty of straight-ahead salsa Cubana, the CD is finished off with a mighty rumba. Lazaro Ros, accompanied by bata drums, a coro singing responses, and the occasional Irakere instrumental, sings the story of healer Babalu Ay?, taking us back to the African traditions that still live on in Cuba, perhaps more strongly than in any other African-based community in the Americas. Irakere has always stayed close to their Afro-Cuban roots. Now on Babalu Ay? they also pay homage to another, much more urban source of the Irakere sound. This CD provides a very satisfying picture of the contrasts that make Afro-Latin music so rich. ~ Bruce Ishikawa, All Music Guide
Bio / Background
In 1973 the Cuban band Irakere burst on the scene with a revolutionary sound quite unlike anything heard before. It soon gained popularity with US audiences, winning Grammys in 1980 and 1981. Founded and led by pianist Jesus "Chucho" Valdés, (son of the legendary pianist "Bebo" Valdés), Irakere seamlessly blends jazz and traditional Cuban music to an unprecedented degree. Recalling the roots of Afro-Cuban jazz, Irakere's wind section burns with Cubanized be-bop lines. Sometimes the phrases almost seem beyond what is humanly possible. It's no surprise that the group has always had remarkable players such as Paquito d' Rivera, Arturo Sandoval, José Luis Cortés (founder of N.G. La Banda) and many others.
Irakere also experiments with incorporating resonances from Cuba's African roots through the use of traditional rhythms and folkloric drums such as the batá.
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