A Quarter Century of Cantoamerica
When a band has been together for as
long as Cantoamerica has, its influence tends to stretch out and embrace a
community much larger than just the guys in the group. Twenty-five years and
twelve recordings into their collective career, that is exactly what has
occurred with Cantoamerica. Fronted by musicologist Manuel Monestel, the band
recently released the self-explanatory CD, “Cantoameric 25 Anos”, a live
recording of some of the band’s most recognizable songs. On hand to partake in
the celebration are a number of major players in the current Costa Rica music scene.
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| Manuel Monestel |
The band itself is
comprised of Monestel on guitar and lead vocals, a horn section that includes
two trombones and a flute, bass and keyboards, and three percussionists. One of
these, Rafael Vargas, is the younger brother of Carlos “Tapas” Vargas, the
drummer for both Malpais and Editus, two renowned Costa Rican bands. Not unlike
the recent Cantoamerica show hosted by Night Life Tamarindo, the guys start off
the CD with a nod to Manuel’s mentor, legendary Calypsonian, Walter Ferguson,
singing “Cabin in the Water”. And just like that, the fun these guys generate
at their live shows is immediately translated to the listener. The disc closes
with “Carnaval Day”, also by Water Ferguson and “Next Creation” by Herbeth ‘Lenki’
Glinton, another cornerstone of Costa Rican Calypso music. These tributes to
the forefathers of local Calypso music frame the CD very well. All the rest of
the tunes on the disc are penned by Monestel.
Vocalist Maria
Pretiz shows up to sing “Espejo” with the band, turning in a tasty vocal duet with
Monestel on the ballad. Editus sits in with Cantoamerica for their rendition of
“Seguira el Amor”, one of the more impressive numbers on this disc. The chorus,
led by Elena Zuniga, lends itself well to the song, too. On “Oficio”, the band
is ably accompanied by Amarillo,
Cian y Magenta, who add their bent of “nu jazz” to the song. “Merry Woman”
finds the Cantoamerica performing with Frutos de Acki, a Caribbean Costa Rican
female vocal quartet.
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| The Calypsonian at Work |
Of course,
Monestel’s longtime friend Manuel Obregon, the founder of Papaya Music, makes
his contribution on piano all over the CD. His style is unmistakable and his
ability to change stylistically between various songs is indicative of the
entire gamut of Cantoamerica’s playbook. While the CD could be viewed a
Cantoamerica as the house band for all their friends in the house, this really
isn’t true. The guest appearances are nice and very complimentary, the music
and the performances are unilaterally Cantoamerica’s. The enthusiastic crowd
responses are a testament to the band’s legacy. It’s a little reminiscent of
the latest Malpais live CD, “En Vivo” in that respect.
The encore cut is,
appropriately, Manuel Monestel’s most popular song, “Give My People a Chance”.
It is also obvious that the group is well rehearsed but they also leave enough
room for improvisation, which, when done properly, makes for an enjoyable live
performance. It was definitely done properly on this recording, which were taken
from two live shows at Teatro Popular Melico Salazar in San Jose on October 21 & 22 last year.
Monestel also produced the CD and oversaw the artistic direction. It’s
definitely his baby and he should be very proud of it.
“Cantoamerica 25
Anos” is available at Jaime Peligro, where they will gladly sample the music
for customers. Any comments concerning this article are welcome.
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