A whole year has passed and for the music industry, on the record side, it was as if the pandemic had not happened. There was an abundance of music coming out from all over the world and many creative recordings in 2021. With that said there are these last entrees into the clubs for DJ’s and dancers, at radio for airplay and in our record collections.
Dorance Lorza & Sexteto Café has been enriching the music scene, from London, for two decades and with ‘20th Anniversary” solidify themselves as a Hall of Fame band. This is one of the year’s best recordings of the year by a legendary musician/producer/arranger and especially for fans of the vibraphone that has been huge this past year on many recordings.
For this celebration Dorance and Sexteto Café introduce us to a series of tracks that will be hits throughout 2022 (also coming out on vinyl) beginning with the first promotional single “Los Paisaleros”. Look for big things from “Ven A Mi”, “Sabroso”, “Boogaloo No.1”. “El Aceitoso”, “Con Los Pobres Estoy”, “La Ruñidera” and the over 10-minute superb version of Cortijo y su Combo’s “El Negro Bembon”. Excellent for fans of the Joe Cuba Sextet, Mango, Buena Vibra Sextet (due next year) or New Swing Sextet.
Orquesta Akokan’s “16 Rayos” is the sophomore release from the band who was critically acclaimed for their debut a few years back and recorded in the EGREM Studios in Havava, Cuba. The collaboration is headed by vocalist Jose ‘Pepito’ Gomez, producer/multi-instrumentalist Jacob Plasse & pianist/arranger Michael Eckroth with a collection of some of Cuba’s musicians led by point man Cesar Lopez (ex-NG La Banda/Los Van Van/Irakere).
“16 Rayos” includes several unions of family members & legacies starting with percussionist Roberto ‘Tato’ Vizcaino Jr. and his father Roberto Vizcaino Guillot as well as trumpeter Reinaldo ‘Molote’ Melian and his son Reinaldo Melian Zamora. It’s an endeavor of ten years coming to life in 2021 as the perfect example pf Perez Prado mambo meets Rumba & Lucumi.
Very good Grammy type of recording that excels on “Fiebre De Mambo”, “16 Rayos”, “4 De Octubre”, Mi Conga Es De Akokan” and “El Inflador”.
Quantic & Nidia Gongora takes the music in a slightly different direction on the CD “Almas Conectadas” (Connected Souls) produced by the British Will “Q” Holland and Colombian folkloric vocalist/songwriter Nidia Gongora that highlights the musical traditions of the Colombian Pacific Coast and not so much a Salsa album.
The danceable tracks are the Cumbia infused “El Avion” & the guajira “El Chiclan”. What I liked most of all was Gongora’s storytelling, that while recorded in Brooklyn, explores the richness of the Pacific Coastal area of Colombia at its best.
Vocalist Francisco Rojas has been the director of the Italian series SALSA.IT and for its 17th edition the label continues to promote the popular acts in Italy region for 15 years. Italy is more into Bachata, Timba, Modern Commercial Salsa with an emphasis on Salsa Romantica with a connection to Venezuela.
This year’s edition is highlighted by the Salsa & Timba by Ana Yadira Ft. Yordy Larrazabal, Ivan Venot, Nestor Pacheco y su Orquesta Retrobon, Josbel Figurita and the Bachata’s by DJ Lindo Ft. Anysa Michell & Johnny Evidence & Larry Bass.
Massimo Scalici, Ivan Ventu, Ivan Cacu, & DJ Lindo have been regulars to the compilations over the years.
The duo Rey & Nelson (Rey Colon ‘El Salsero De Acero” & his brother Nelson), formed in 1998, are a new arrival to the Salsa scene with their CD “El Si De Dios” as a Christian Salsa act that is also the title of their first promo song.
This is a very impressive recording with an array of hits that includes “Borinquen”, “Al Son Que Me Toques”, “Valiente”, “Salomon”, “Loco” with guest vocalist Papo Rivera (known for many Christian Salsa CD’s) and a song the brothers had saved with vocal guest Cheo Feliciano “Me Voy De Pesca”.
If you love music on the mellow romantic side then Vocalist/Pianist Lozano’s CD “Bolero Jazz/Feeling/Bossa/Latin Jazz” is for you. Loazno excels on the boleros “Ha Hector Medley” & “Como Fue”, the Feeling of “Solo Para Ti & “Una Mujer”, the Bossa’s “Cariño” & Un Bolero” as well as “Un Compromiso” & “Algo Contigo”.
A Latin Movement is a quintet recording led by trumpeter/vocalist Luis Ramirez, from New York, that gives us a very tasty mix of Salsa & Latin Jazz. The party favorites here will be “Rumba Buena”, “El No Te Va Querer” (a single release in 2019), “La Lluvia”, and the Latin Jazz tunes “Saoko” and Ray Barretto’s classic “Acid” where the entire quintet jams.
For close to a year, I was waiting for the new La Paris All Stars “Los Escogidos Vol. 2” and finally it is here for the holidays, that showcases some of today’s brightest vocalists.
You have Hector ‘Pichie’ Perez, Josean Rivera, Willie Morales El Piloto De La Salsa, Chevy El Pitirre De La Salsa, Adriel Gonzalez, Nandy Rosario and others on songs like ‘El Son Del Bailador”, “Ven A Gozar”, “Dicen”, “Mi Condena”. “Como Dice El Dicho”, “Vengo De Nuevo” and “Quiereme Como Te Quiero”.
Eric Maldonado is the owner of La Paris All Star Recording Studio in Florida that has been pumping out great recordings for the past decade for the band plus many other artists.
Bassist Pablo Perez was the co-founder of La Charanga Habanera and then Charanga Forever before becoming Musical Director for the Buenavista Social Club at one point. Today he leads the Pablo Perez Cuban Jazz Sextet on the CD “Charangueando Con Jazz” which is an amazing look into a wonderful mix of Afro Cuban music.
With Flutist J.J. Oliveros, Pianist/Alto Saxophonist Arthur Luis Alvarez, trumpeter Victoriano Patterson and the new generation of percussionists timbalero Luis “Betun’ Valiente & tumbador Augusto Lage this band swings on the tunes “Las Mujeres”,” El Mambo Gallego”, “Tumbao No. 5” and “Cheek To Cheek”. The title is confusing since only the opening number is Charanga but then Pablo was with Charanga Habanera that was not a charanga.
Finally, there is the new Christmas album by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico that will be a huge hit for many Christmas to come…The CD “De Trulla Con El Gran Combo” has some huge hits like “No Hay”, “La Dieta De La Navidad”, “Cuando De Las Doce” and “Me Llevan Ajorao”. The whole album will be heard worldwide this Christmas.
Up next will be my lists for best songs of the year from all my radio shows at World Salsa Radio.com and Alma Del Barrio and the Best recordings of 2021 in Salsa & Latin Jazz.