Típica 73
Típica 73 Orchestra


The album that you hold in your hands was released in 1974, a year that most Afro-Caribbean music aficionados remember as the apex of the New York salsa explosion. At the time, plenty of musicians tried to capitalize on this urban phenomenon. As a result, hundreds of bands were being formed in New York City, Miami and Puerto Rico.

A shocking event at the time was the breakup of the Ray Barretto orchestra. In retrospect, this momentous transition gave us one of the most innovative bands to emerge from that fruitful era in tropical music.

Just before their 1973 debut was released to critical and commercial acclaim, the members of “Típica 73” were told that they were fools for leaving the safety of an established band for the uncertainties of a new adventure. In 1974, the Típica demonstrated that there was indeed life after its debut with the release of a record known both as the Watergate Album and the Amalia Batista LP.

The band had one of the genre's best vocalists in Adalberto Santiago. The Puerto Rican sonero was at the peak of his powers at the time, something that can be clearly heard on this album's opening track. Written by Marcelino Guerra and recorded by the Machito orchestra during the '60s, “Así No Se Quiere a Nadie” is also the first of three arrangements that Gilbert López wrote for this session.

“Típica 73” would always play a bolero in those early recordings of the '70s. The one included here, “Olvida El Pasado,” was one of their best.

The classic Jesús Guerra standard “A Mí Qué” is given the special “Típica 73” treatment with the unique touch of Sonny Bravo's piano. This takes us into René López’s cover of “Where Is The Love,” a huge r&b hit for Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway.

The one track that stands arguably as the album's biggest hit is a hip recording of “Amalia Batista," boosted by the scat singing of René López, a memorable introduction by tresero Nelson González and fiery exchanges between López on trumpet and timbalero OrestesVilató.

Boasting a cool tres solo by González, “Rumba Y Guaguancó” demonstrated that Sonny Bravo was an arranger on the rise. “Carahuico” shines thanks to a brief trombone solo by maestro Leopoldo Pineda.

What would a Típica album be without the obligatory cha cha cha? “Si Te Tuviera” is an inspired tune arranged by the group's trumpeter and pianist Joe Mannozzi.

The album's epic finale is the descarga “Watergate,” arranged by the entire band with enough space for all of the musicians to express themselves - especially Nelson González, who uses a wah-wah pedal on his tres for the creation of a funky effect.


Credits:

Sonny Bravo - Piano
Nelson González – Tres, Wa-Wa (“Watergate”)
René López - Trumpet
Joe Mannozzi – Trumpet, Piano
Dave Pérez - Bass
Leopoldo Pineda - Trombone
Johnny Rodríguez- Conga
Orestes Vilató- Timbales, Bongo

Lead Vocal - Adalberto Santiago, René López (“Where Is The Love””)
Chorus – Adalberto Santiago, Sonny Bravo, Nelson González


Producer – Típica 73
Recorded at – Good Vibrations Sound Studios
Engineer – Al Manger
Arrangements – Gilbert López (“Asi No Se Quiere A Nadie”, “Where Is The Love” & “Carahuico”) , Típica 73 (“Watergate”, “Amalia Batista”), Sonny Bravo (”A Mí Qué”, “Rumba y Guaguancó”), Luis Cruz (“Olvida El Pasado”), Joe Mannozzi
(“Si Te Tuviera”)
Original Album Design – We-2 Graphic Designs, Inc.


Written by Nelson Rodríguez
LESS >