Orquesta Harlow
La Raza Latina A Salsa Suite
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La Raza Latina | ||
Salsa Suite Pt 1 Africa | ||
Salsa Suite Pt 2 Caribbean | ||
Salsa Suite Pt 2 Caribbean Continued | ||
Salsa Suite Pt 3 New York 1950's & 1960's | ||
Salsa Suite Pt 4 Futuro |
In the credits for his groundbreaking 1977 album, La Raza Latina, producer/pianist Larry Harlow drops a cryptic clue to the source of inspiration for this symphonic salsa suite. He thanks a group – identified simply as Musica Moderna de Cuba – that was then virtually unknown to all but the most devoted followers of Afro-Cuban music. Its full name is Orquesta Cubana de Musica Moderna, a seminal ensemble that featured some of Cuba’s most cutting- edge musicians, including the original core of what would become Irakere, the island’s legendary salsa/jazz band.
At a time when the rest of the world was largely cut off from creative developments behind the Sugar Cane Curtain, Harlow had his ear to the nascent vanguard of a progressive movement in dance music that swept Cuba after the revolution. In New York, while many Latinos got swept up in the utterly disposable disco craze, Harlow was tuned to short wave radio to pick up on underground sounds that would have an impact on salsa for decades to come.
The result is one of the most extraordinary and ambitious works to come out of the salsa boom of the 1970s, a concept album that tells the story of Latin music in orchestral fashion. The suite moves from the music’s origins in African drumming and its roots in the Caribbean to its mambo heyday in New York of the 1950s. The experimental fourth movement explores a vision of salsa’s future in a flourish of frenetic percussion and jazz improvisation, for which Harlow borrowed riffs from those cutting-edge Cubans.
This work brings together the two strains of Harlow’s musical career, his passion for Afro- Cuban roots and his drive to make salsa sound modern. During three days in January of 1977, he gathered a veritable army of musicians (30 players and eight singers) at La Tierra Sound Studios and recorded the four-part suite, meant to be heard as a continuous piece. Sometimes wielding a baton to conduct the string section, Harlow wrestled with complex time and tempo changes to master the sweeping, at times stunning arrangements by Luis ‘Perico’ Ortíz and Marty Sheller, who wrote his charts in pencil on score paper. “Marty’s a genius,” says Harlow. “You just tell him what you want and he writes it.”
Vocals were added later, but they weren’t an afterthought. Néstor Sánchez, ‘El Albino Divino,’ sings the title track, the only stand-alone song on the album. Rubén Blades carries most of the suite, displaying a passion for the concept, diligent research and “magnificent” inspiraciones (inspirations) Harlow recalls. Singer Frankie Rodríguez contributes a dramatic and authentic santero narrative while angelic tones are added by a trio of singers from Latin Fever, the all-female salsa group Harlow co-produced the following year.
On the eve of the 32nd anniversary of La Raza Latina, Harlow declares the work “ahead of its time.” He ranks it in the top five among his career’s three dozen albums, along with Hommy: A Latin Opera (1973), Tribute to Arsenio Rodríguez (1972) and Salsa (1974). The future may not have worked out as the suite envisioned, but the English lyrics he wrote for the finale still captures salsa’s idealism and universal appeal: “Come on our dream/ We’ll go through our music one more time./ Love, dance and sing,/ For what’s ours is ours for all mankind.”
En los créditos de su innovador disco de 1977 La Raza Latina, el productor y pianista Larry Harlow nos regala una pista en cuanto a la fuente de inspiración para su suite de salsa sinfónica. Agradece a un grupo identificado como Música Moderna de Cuba – que en esa época era desconocido por todos menos los seguidores más acérrimos de la música afrocubana. Su nom- bre completo era Orquesta Cubana de Música Moderna, un importante conjunto que contaba con algunos de los músicos cubanos más vanguardistas del momento, incluyendo a la base de lo que sería Irakere – el legendario grupo cubano de salsa-jazz.
En una época durante la cual el resto del mundo estaba aislado de los movimientos creativos detrás de la cortina de la caña de azúcar, Harlow se había interesado en la vanguardia de un movimiento progresivo que influenció a la música cubana bailable posteriormente a la revolución. En Nueva York, mientras muchos latinos caían bajo la seducción del olvidable movimiento de la música disco, Harlow sintonizaba la radio de onda corta para escuchar los sonidos del under- ground que influenciarían a la salsa durante muchas décadas.
El resultado es uno de los discos más extraordinarios y ambiciosos que salieron de la ex- plosión salsosa de los años ‘70, un disco conceptual que narra la historia de la música latina de manera orquestal. La suite comienza con los orígenes del género en la percusión africana, y explora sus raíces caribeñas hasta el auge del mambo en Nueva York de los años ‘50. El experimental cuarto movimiento explora una visión del futuro de la salsa con percusiones frené- ticas e improvisaciones jazzeras, para las cuales Harlow pidió prestados un par de riffs de aquel innovador grupo cubano.
El disco fusionó las dos tendencias musicales de la carrera de Harlow - su pasión por las raíces afrocubanas, y su deseo de modernizar el sonido de la salsa. Durante tres días en enero de 1977, juntó a un verdadero ejército de artistas (30 músicos y ocho cantantes) en el estudio La Tierra Sound Studios y grabó los cuatro movimientos de la suite, con la intención de que ésta fuera escuchada de principio a fin. Por momentos manejando una batuta para conducir a la sección de cuerdas, Harlow luchó con complejos cambios de tiempos para dominar los arreglos majestuosos de Luis ‘Perico’ Ortíz y Marty Sheller, que escribieron sus orquestaciones con lápiz. “Marty es un genio”, explica Harlow. “Le dices lo que quieres, y él simplemente lo escribe”.
Las voces fueron agregadas posteriormente, pero habían sido planeadas de antemano. Nés- tor Sánchez, ‘El Albino Divino,’ canta el tema que le da su nombre al disco - la única verdadera canción del LP. Rubén Blades interpreta gran parte de la suite, demostrando su pasión por este concepto, diligencia en la investigación y, en las palabras de Harlow, sus “magníficas inspiracio- nes”. El cantante Frankie Rodríguez contribuye la narrativa dramática de un auténtico santero, mientras que ciertos tonos angelicales son aportados por un trío de cantantes de Latin Fever, el grupo de salsa femenino que Harlow co-produciría el año siguiente.
En la víspera del 32o. aniversario de La Raza Latina, Harlow declaró que el disco estaba “adelantado a su época”. Lo coloca entre los cinco mejores trabajos de su carrera, junto con Hommy: A Latin Opera (1973), Tribute to Arsenio Rodríguez (1972) y Salsa (1974). El futuro no resultó ser como se había imaginado en la suite, pero las letras en inglés que Harlow escribió para el final captaron el idealismo y la universalidad del movimiento salsero: “Ven a nuestro sueño/Recorreremos nuestra música una vez más/Ama, baila y canta/Porque lo nuestro es para toda la humanidad”.
Hammock House: Santiago Sessions
$5.99
Fania is pleased to announce the release of HAMMOCK HOUSE: SANTIAGO SESSIONS on August 25, the newest installment in their highly-regarded “Hammock House” remix series, produced and mixed by internationally renowned LA-based producer and DJ, Jose Marquez. The iconic entertainment brand, which has evolved from a legendary NYC-based music label to an innovative and digitally-driven global music, entertainment and lifestyle company, is known worldwide for their work with influential DJs, and one of the best examples is their highly-regarded ‘Hammock House’ series.
Stemming from an idea that originated at the Manana Festival in Santiago de Cuba two years ago, Marquez fuses his love for dynamic Afro-Cuban and Caribbean flavors on SANTIAGO SESSIONS with classic Fania tracks from icons such as Hector Lavoe, Ray Barretto, Tito Puente and Celia Cruz. Standout tracks include “Aguanile,” the iconic song from Fania legends Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe which first appeared on the album El Juicio in 1972, for which Marquez enlisted noted musicians Bobby Wilmore and Lazaro Galarraga, who specialize in Afro-Cuban percussion, to perform on congas and bata drums. Another showstopper on the release is “Herencia Africana,” which was composed by Javier Vazquez and recorded by the legendary Celia Cruz and Sonora Matancera on the album Feliz Encuentro, released in 1982. In the song, Cruz talks about her African Heritage/influence, so Marquez brought in US-based musicians originally from Mali to perform and emphasize the African elements of the song, using a djembe instead of congas and a Balafon which is a traditional African version of a marimba/xylophone.
Fania launched the groundbreaking ‘Hammock House’ series in 2011 with the release of its first acclaimed compilation from the celebrated producer/DJ Joe Claussell entitled ‘Hammock House Africa Caribe.’ With each thematic installment, Fania has teamed up with innovative DJ/producers such as Louie Vega, Toy Selectah and The Whiskey Barons, providing them with access to Fania's treasure vaults and the original multitrack master tapes from recordings by classic artists to create fresh takes on Fania’s musical legacy to introduce to new generations of fans.
Music Credits:
1. Celia Cruz - Un Bembe Pa Yemaya (Jose Marquez Remix)
Congas: Bobby Wilmore, Lazaro Galarraga
Bata Drums: Bobby Wilmore, Lazaro Galarraga
2. Ray Barretto - Indestructible (Jose Marquez Remix)
Piano: Claudio Passavanti
Bass: Claudio Passavanti
Congas: Ismel Wignall
Saxophone: Elias Perez
Hammock House Myrtle & Wyckoff
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Hammock House - The Eastbound L
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