FEBRUARY 2012 ISSUE PICK OF THE MONTH The Latin Real Easy Book Salsa/Afro-Cuban/Brazilian Produced by Sher Music Co. In conjunction with The Stanford Jazz Wokshop 275 pages/English Sher Music Co. ISBN-1-883217-67-9 Available in C, Bb, Eb, and Bass Clef editions,” The Latin Real Easy Book” is the latest and ultimate fake book from Sher Music designed for classroom and/or professional use. Musically edited by Larry Dunlap with editorial consulting by Rebeca Mauleón, this new print features two books in one: Part 1includes easier tunes for High School or even Middle School ensembles, and Part II features more challenging tunes for college students and professional players. Like all of Sher Music’s “Real Easy Books,” each tune includes scales for soloing, piano voicings, guitar voicings, sample bass parts, and other educational materials essential in producing life-affirming Latin music. Many of the tunes also contain separate rhythm section charts and/or horn harmony charts to aid your band in performing authentic-sounding versions. Playlists at www.shermusic.com allow you to hear all the songs in the “Real Easy Books” free of charge, adding an additional valuable aid to your learning experience. Highlighting this amazing repertoire of Latin music charts are “Soul Sauce” (Cal Tjader), “Tin Tin Deo” (Dizzy Gillespie), “Little Sunflower” (Manny Oquendo), “La Malanga” (Eddie Palmieri), “Inolvidable” (Tito Rodríguez), “Guararé” (Ray Barretto), “Agua de Beber” (Antonio Carlos Jobim), and “Partido Alto” (Airto), among many others. This new book is an excellent addition to any band’s or individual musician’s Latin music repertoire. Suggested retail price: $32 USD —Rudy Mangual REVIEWS NOVALIMA Karimba (ESL Music) Afro-Peruvian roots music meets modern electronic, dub, and afro-beat rhythms on “Karimba,” the third CD production from the Lima-based collective Novalima. Led by founding members Ramón Pérez Prieto (keyboards/synths), Grimaldo del Solar (guitars), Rafael Morales (guitars/programming), and Carlos Li Carrillo (bass/programming), Novalima unleashes a sonic boom of rhythms and percussive sounds that bridge traditional Afro-Peruvian roots with urban modalities. From the opening track (“Festejo”), the soothing female vocals of Milagros Guerrero, combined with dubbed-out effects, quickly draw you to the contagious and hypnotic grooves of this band. Backed by a crew of percussionists and guest musicians, this 2009 Grammy-nominated ensemble reaffirms it tasteful war-dance energy on selections such as “Revolution,” ” Mamayé,” “Hotel Barcelona,” and “Zarambé.” The group’s unique and brilliant adaptation of traditional Afro-Peruvian songs into the world of dub and electronic dance music is reflected in the title track and the selections “Festejo” and “Macaco”. Novalima makes Afro-Peruvian dance music for the new millennium. —Rudy Mangual YOEL DÍAZ CUBAN JAZZ SESSION Encuentros (Allegro) Pianist Yoel Díaz returns to his Cuban roots on his latest production, "Encuentros," currently available in the U.S.A. through Allegro Music, but originally released in 2010 in Montreal, Canada (where he has resided since 1997). Díaz has performed with numerous jazz and Cuban ensembles, while composing over fifty original scores and releasing his debut album ("Te Llegó") in 2003. In recent years, he has been mostly playing jazz and working with vocalists Veronica Larc, Carlos Placeres, Harold Faustin, and Karen Young. On this new recording, Díaz combines traditional Cuban rhythms with modern jazz modalities, creating a smooth, laid back Latin jazz vibe, with the help of Alex Bellegarde (double bass), Nathalie Picard (flute), Eugenio "Kiko" Osorio (conga drums), and Jesús Cantero (vocals and percussion). Guest vocalists include Jessica Phillips-Silver and Karen Young. Adding a special visual dimension to this production is a collection of artworks created by three Cuban artists: Magalys Reyes, Ronald Guillén and Rodobaldo del Risco, who designed the CD cover and accompanying booklet, including the specific illustrations for each of the scores. —Rudy Mangual BIO RITMO La Verdad (Electric Cowbell Records) Enjoying its 20th anniversary, the Richmond, Virginia-based salsa band Bio Ritmo released its sixth full-length album (available as a 12” vinyl LP, on CD format, and as a download) entitled “La Verdad” (The Truth). Fronted by founding member Rei Álvarez (singer/songwriter), this nine-piece band returns to its original pursuit of making salsa inspired mainly by the pioneering Puerto Rican bands and artists of the early 1960s and 1970s, whose sounds are now infused with a refreshing eclectic sense of arrangements and the freedom of making music on their own terms. The mostly original repertoire commendably fuses Afro-Caribbean rhythms with jazzy and R&B-style horn arrangements, with the addition of retro keyboard and organ sounds, as well as other psychedelic sounds and effects. The experimental salsa-driven jams are full of exciting musical phrases, forms and changes, creating a lively and colorful soundtrack for Álvarez’s storytelling compositions. Favorite tracks: “La Verdad,” “La Muralla,” and “Lola’s Dilemma.” —Rudy Mangual FRENTE CUMBIERO Meets Mad Professor (VampiSoul) Led by Mario Galeano (DJ/musician/musicologist/record label owner), Frente Cumbiero is one of the leading acts of the contemporary international cumbia scene, currently being rediscovered by new and not-so-new audiences in clubs and other venues in cities like London, Madrid, and New York. Based in Bogotá, Frente Cumbiero explores both the roots and the modern trends currently infusing the Colombian cumbia genre worldwide. This production finds Frente Cumbiero teaming up with the legendary dub producer Mad Professor (as part of the British Council’s Incubator project) whose collaborations include work with Sly & Robbie, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Horace Andy, and Massive Attack. Together with Joe Ariwa (Mad Professor’s son), and key players of Bogotá’s music scene, they recorded three collective improvisational sessions at the Javeriana University. Along with another four tracks by Frente Cumbiero, all seven tracks were remixed by Mad Professor in his London studio. This CD features the original seven tracks prior to Mad Professor’s remix, as well as the new remix dub versions for a total of 14 tracks. Lots of cumbia, my friends! —Rudy Mangual ERVIN "EL BORICUA" ROSARIO De Corazón (Ervin Rosario) Recorded in Puerto Rico under the musical direction of trombonist Cuto Soto (with arrangements by Soto and pianist Ramón Sánchez), this CD marks the debut of singer/songwriter Ervin “El Boricua” Rosario, who offers eight original scores, including the opening track titled “Aquí Estoy”, in collaboration with his brother Gerardo the CD “De Corazón” showcases the songwriting skills and vocal talents of this upcoming artist, in the company of some of Puerto Rico’s top salsa musicians. Favorite tracks include “Aquí Estoy,” “Mi Salsa Dura” and “Puerto Rico.” —Rudy Mangual