Fania was the label with those hard-driving salsa albums from the mid-70’s, which are now being digitally remastered from the original multi-track recordings. The sixteen tracks in this compilation have been carefully selected to reveal the amazing breadth of the Fania catalogue. Here are some of the most electrifying collaborations between singers and bandleaders in the history of salsa: Tito Puente and Celia Cruz, Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoé, Bobby Valentín and Marvin Santiago.
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Fania was the label with those hard-driving salsa albums from the mid-70’s, which are now being digitally remastered from the original multi-track recordings. The sixteen tracks in this compilation have been carefully selected to reveal the amazing breadth of the Fania catalogue. Here are some of the most electrifying collaborations between singers and bandleaders in the history of salsa: Tito Puente and Celia Cruz, Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoé, Bobby Valentín and Marvin Santiago.
You can sample the diversity of salsa's great soneros (singers): the percussive vocal improvisations of Ismael Rivera, the frenetic style of La Lupe, the smoky baritone of Pete El Conde Rodríguez, and the lyrical spontaneity of Justo Betancourt.
The stylistic range here is impressive. There's Latin soul by an early Ray Barretto, the Latin jazz of Charlie Palmieri, and the four trumpet salsa sound of La Sonora Ponceña. The themes range from songs about Latino identity and nostalgia to classic themes of romance by such legends as Rubén Blades and Bobby Cruz.
Newer generations of music lovers can get a first-class salsa education by purchasing Leyendas De La Fania Vol. 2. Salsa aficionados will appreciate the enhanced sound quality of the original material.
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