Sones de Tierra Caliente

Historical Album by Guadalupe Urbina

     Born the youngest of ten children in Sardinal, Guanacaste, Guadalupe Urbina demonstrated her interest in folkloric music at a very early age. She sings with passion, veracity, capriciousness and has an incredible range with her voice. She credits her mother as being her mentor and biggest fan as well. Ms. Urbina received her deserved recognition in 1987, when she was invited to participate in the Latin American Music Festival in The Netherlands. From that performance, she was asked to perform at the 1988 Amnesty International Festival in San Jose, along with the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Tracy Chapman, Sting and Peter Gabriel.

     Guadalupe has recently released “Sones de Tierra Caliente”, a compilation of sixteen regional songs that have been passed from countless generation to generation. The songs are a mix of lullabies, fiesta songs, romantic songs, children’s songs and street songs, all stemming from the Costa Rica province of Guanacaste. They are so entrenched in time that the songwriters are unknown. She has travelled to an assortment of small villas to gather these songs, traveling west from Sardinal to Artola, Portegolpe and Brasilito, and then south to Santa Barbara, Talolingo, Nambi and Diria. Some of the songs are humorous and some romantic; some are both. Guadalupe credits each person who “donated” the various songs and they are each given the opportunity to introduce their contribution prior to the beginning of the song. Each song is described in its historical detail in an accompanying booklet, the lyrics are printed and the music transcribed. It is really an amazing accomplishment, a true labor of love by Ms. Urbina and all involved, including Luis Porras and Fidel Gamboa who helped score the songs.

     The album opens with “El Pilon” and “La Zopilota” two songs about working under the hot sun in the finca, songs recanted by generations of workers in the fields and farmlands. “En Coche Va Una Nina” is nursery rhyme, as are “El Garrobo” and “Chinto Pinto”, sung with a cadence, to accompany hand games or skipping rope, and “Cancion de Cuna” is a lullaby. The remainder are songs of love and humor; sometimes both themes are combined. One of my favorites is “La Viuda Alegre”, sung as a traditional waltz.

     Guadalupe gathered an impressive group of musicians to record this compilation. The versatile Ricardo Fonseca played guitar, bass, saxophone, marimba and mandolin and helped arrange the album. Warren Alani supplied nice piano accompaniment. Isaac Morero played various forms of percussion, while Veronica Zumbado played violin, Ivan Chinchilla the trombone and Carlos Valverde the tuba. The musical accompaniment rounds the songs out, makes them more palatable and credible as an historic part of Guanacaste culture. The wonderful, lush painting and graphics are by Mary Anne Ellis.

     Truly, Guadalupe Uribe shines on this project; it is her baby. Her voice is expressive, dimensional. Her work here is obviously a labor of love and she is to be commended and thanked for her hard work. The CD is available at the Jaime Peligro book store in Playa Tamarindo.

Radha Torches Tamarindo

Radha Torches Tamarindo

     Originally from Panama, Radha Kunja began her musical career at the age of twelve and has performed in Cuba, Nicaragua, Argentina, Peru, Mexico and The U.S. She has been singing in Tamarindo since last February, steadily building a following here. She has been wowing them at Le Beach Club with her “Retro Latin Cabaret music”, as she calls it. Radha confesses to having a nostalgic side, that she has visceral, spiritual experience while singing these songs; this is apparent to the astute observer. Radha embraces her role as diva and definitely lets her singing take her away. The audience is permitted to go along with her, if they allow themselves to. Her rendition of “Summertime”, for example, is haunting, strong and ethereal at the same time.

   

Radha performing with Jesse Bishop

  Guitarist Jesse Bishop told me that his sets with Radha “range from ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin’ to ‘Roxanne’”. When I saw them perform, they also covered “Fly Me to the Moon”, the Patsy Cline song “I Fall to Pieces”, a gripping rendition of “Quizas, Quizas” that received a wonderful response, the classic “Makin’ Whoopee” and a heartfelt rendition of “Me Voy Pal Pueblo”, a song that had an early influence on Ms. Kunja. Between sets, I strolled onto the beach with Jesse and Radha to hear them practice an upcoming song, truly an intimate experience.

     Christian and Heidi, the owners and producers of Le Beach Club, should be commended for offering these early performances (7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tues. & Thurs., 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday), with no cover charge, as a form of diverse cultural entertainment in Tamarindo. They, too have a passion for art and the community.

     On Tuesdays, Jesse performs with bassist David Herzovich and Brad Schmidt on sax; Jesse, David and Radha play on Thursdays, and Radha performs solo on Fridays, a completely different format than the prior night, with Ms Kunja singing to music recorded by musicians in Cuba, Peru and Argentina with arrangements specifically for Radha. These songs are all Latin: valses criollo from Peru, boleros from Buenos Aires and tangos from Cuba. During an intermission, she explained a bit about the songs: “Que Te Pedi’”, a Cuban ballad, “Piensa en Mi”, from Mexico. She feels these songs and their musical styles are being lost in time. She wants to keep them alive, so is performing and now recording them with the help of Nano Fernandez in his studio in Santa Ana. The disc will include “Me Quiero Morir”, a bolero by Costa Rican Ray Tico.

     All the compositions sung by Radha have strong lyrics. They are nostalgic songs, more passionate than romantic. Radha steps onto the stage prepared: black gloves that extend above here elbows, black dress with spaghetti straps, black high heels and nylons. When she begins, it is startling to hear a voice so strong emanate from such a petite body. She has control of her voice, the mike, her stage presence. The music takes her away. Her entire body becomes the song, something that needs to be witnessed to be appreciated. A passion for music is not something one can pretend. Radha has the passion and the talent as well.

     Radha performs at the Beach Club in Playa Portrero and at Soda Mediterranea in Playa del Coco. Radha, Jesse and David also perform at the Exclusive Resorts next to the Four Seasons in the Papagayo Peninsula.

La Opera Andina

    

     Inspiration comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, in a plethora of locations, at any given time of the day; Jerry Garcia once said it happens “in the strangest of places, if you look at it right”. For Bolivian musician Cristobal Colon, it came as he gazed upon a waterfall deep in the Bolivian jungle. A longtime fan of Jimi Hendrix, he felt a vision, the apparition, the voice of Hendrix telling him that it was time to stop thinking and start creating the opera he had been mentally formulating for some time. In the liner notes, Colon also explains that the Andean Opera “was inspired by the beautiful nature in those too few areas that have not endured the ‘Progress’ of mankind”.

     The eight-part opera was composed by Colon and Miguel Angel Lima, who contributes percussion as well as the quema flute playing. Colon supplies vocals, guitar, charango, bass and percussion. The female vocals by Cristina Baden add a dimension that I think helps round out the entire sound. The music has an obvious influence from indigenous Andean music, but certainly a sound and flow all its own. And I know I heard a direct influence from the Jimi Hendrix song “Red House”.

     The opera opens, appropriately, with “El Naciamento” (Birth), a song about the unique physical and emotional connection between mother and child. The opus moves through the phases of “Growth”, based on the Bolivian rhythm called “tinku”, a song basically about youthful rebellion in the face of all he has learned and been born into. “Separation” is a passage devoted on the time in a man’s life when he considers himself completely independent. The music is a fusion of modern Andean Rock and Afro-Blues music, at a tempo that invites dancing. The fourth entry, “Loneliness”, also based in the Bolivian “tinku” rhythm, pulls away the analogy of child and mother to proclaim the opera one about mankind and his Mother Earth.  “Destruction” is a mix of spoken and sung lyrics that deal with the negative footprint humans have stamped into their home, their planet. Inspiration was the first entry written for this opera. Appropriately titled, it reflects a ray of hope on a new shining sun.  “Solution” offers a positive slant, reminding people not to play the “blame game” but to move together to find ways to repair our global home. Finally, “Animals”, which is based on the song of the “chulupia”, a bird native to Bolivia, perhaps a reminder of the joys that still exist on this planet.

     The music has wonderful rhythmic changes, recorded with pristine deftness by Yuval Zekharya in “Mezcal Ladyland Studios”, another obvious Hendrix reference. The entire CD spans seventy-seven minutes, including two bonus tracks and I found the booklet enclosed very helpful for me to follow the story wrapped inside the opera. I’m sure that somewhere, Jimi is smiling down at this accomplishment.  

      The entire project was financed and supported by Ginger’s Paradise, nestled in the jungle of Bolivia. They have a cool site at www.gingersparadise.com . The CD is available at the Jaime Peligro bookstores in Quepos and Playa Tamarindo, where they will gladly sample the music for their customers.

Patino Quintana

Patino Quintana

     Daniel Patino Quintana is a singer/songwriter guitarist from San Jose. He is also an arranger with a good perception of what he is after and how to produce it. I have been listening to an E.P., “La Dulce Vida” and an album, “Camino de Aire” by his band Patino Quintana. The two discs are comprised of sixteen songs tracking more than an hour of music. It is not possible to label the music with any particular style. The full-length album has a suite sensation to it, with the titles of some of the passages referencing the album title and sounding symphonic, giving it an almost orquestral sound. Indeed, the band includes not only guitars, bass, piano and percussion, but violins and a female vocal chorus as well. And for this album, Daniel has recruited Ivan Rodriguez from Malpais to play additional violin on two of the songs, Camilio Poltronieri to add petal steel guitar on one passage, Checka D’avila to contribute sax for two songs and flute on another, and a variety of guests on a variety of electronic keyboards and percussionists. The result is a real collage or melting pot of sounds, varying between the orquestral, and acoustic and vocal songs. I have to mention the guitar playing by band member Esteban Urena. It’s always clean and slick and he uses a lot of filters and phasers to enhance the sound. It’s obvious he is plugged into Daniel’s vision and knows how to help get them there.

   The album opens, appropriately, with the sound of a radio dial surfing through channels, broadcasting a variety of snippets of different sounds until it “lands” on the opening notes of “Tentacion de 12 Horas”. The voices are strong, harmonic and the music has some great hooks, as the album takes off, coursing through the ten songs, including three “Camino de aire” segues. I think it is a very accomplished production overall. If I have a complaint, it would be about the cover artwork, blank with oversized, very faint grey block letters. It is easy to not notice the jacket and I don’t think it does the music justice. That might seem crass, but believe me, packaging is a huge part of marketing a CD, which is how you get people to buy your product.

     The EP, “La Dulce Vita”, on the other hand, has a very bright, Poppy, enhancing cover. The album opens with a nice vocal and acoustic guitar entry, into a straight-forward rock song. Daniel certainly has a talent for creating musical hooks. The total musical ensemble is composed into a very listenable product. Papaya Music thinks so, too. The largest music label in Costa Rica has agreed to distribute the two CDs for Patino Quintana, and that can only help them reach the audience they have obviously worked so hard for and that they deserve. Their CDs are available at the Jaime Peligro Book Store in Playa Tamarindo, where they will gladly sample the music for their customers.

Roxanne Oliva's Accordian Crumbs

Roxanne Oliva’s Accordion Crumbs

     She’s at it again: after her highly listenable 2010 debut album, “Box Candy”, accordionist extraordinaire Roxanne Oliva now offers her sophomore venture: “Accordion Crumbs”. The CD opens with “Secret Body Tango”, an Oliva original, a nice bass & accordion duet with castanet accompaniment and a wonderful intro song. “Fi Fi’s Messy Closet” is an up-tempo, playful and frenzied tune recorded by her band Youkali at what Roxanne describes as “a run away fast tempo, giving it that untamed quality”. She told me that the song was inspired by what is hidden, or closeted. I also like this album’s versions of the traditional songs “Hole in the Boat Jig” and “Limerick Lass Set”, with their roving, Irish lilt, reinforced by the fiddle playing of Scott Renfort. And “Spin Bouree”, another Roxanne original, was inspired by 3/4 Bourees that were popular in southern Europe. In fact, Ms Oliva told me that most of her songs are inspired by folk dance music. 

Roxanne at work & play

     Roxanne acknowledges that the title of her album is in reference to the popular E. Annie Proulx novel, “Accordion Crimes”, which follows the life of an accordion and its many owners, of many nationalities, for more than a century. And I believe Roxanne has been successful on this disc in embracing those varied cultures and musical styles that span a great length of time and heritage.

Everyone needs an accordion Babe

     The CD is subtitled, “Tasty Bits if Random Sessions” and I wholeheartedly agree with the “tasty” assessment. Granted, the songs are an assortment of songs from a variety of projects with which Ms Oliva has been associated, but far from being a hodgepodge, I enjoyed a certain cohesiveness, a flow in the music. Four of these new songs were written by David Lux and were recorded for “Quiet Little Marriage”, an independent film that has garnered critical acclaim and received awards from film festivals in both Los Angeles and Austin. Along with Richard Mandel, David Lux also provided the tasty guitar work on the album. Four other songs on this fourteen song project were recorded with the trio Youkali, which is comprised of virtuosic fiddle and bass players and of course Ms Oliva and her diverse accordion styles. The rest were recorded with a seven piece band who have gelled quick well on this project. Three of the songs that appear on this CD were on “Box Candy” as well, but far from being outtakes, they are new (to me) versions, much different than the previous renditions and stand on their own, especially “Each Part Was Played”, that has a kind of haunting “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” feel to it.

     Roxanne owns a home in Playa Negra and is here at various times throughout the year. Perhaps with some coaxing, we can convince her to perform some time while she is here. We’ll sweep up the crumbs, of course.

     Both of Roxanne Oliva’s CDs are available at Jaime Peligro book store in Playa Tamarindo, where they will gladly sample the music for their customers.

A Glass of Wine with Charly Lopez

A Glass of Wine with Charly Lopez

     I’m listening to “Un Vaso de Vino”, the new self-produced album by local musician Charly Lopez and I realize that he has really been around. You can hear it in his musical influences. Born in Montevideo, Uruguay, Charly played in five different bands there during a twelve year span: Vision, Aeroplano, Las Bestias, Mamut, and Alvacast, recording four albums with this band. Charly relocated to Canada in 1992, playing with three different bands over a span of more than a decade and recording his fifth CD with Tears for the Dead Gods, before moving to Costa Rica when a friend suggested he come down and play at his restaurant in Brasilito. His initial four month stay here lasted six months, with Charly playing five nights a week. He went back to Canada for about seven months before returning here to live in 2005.

     Recording a solo project is different than that experience with a full band. Charly decided he wanted to return to his home country, as he told me, because “I wanted this CD to be by a Uruguayan, recorded in Uruguay, made in Uruguay!” He also told me that he grew in a beautiful country that, at the time was, unfortunately, being run by a dictatorship that had curfews and did not allow men to have long hair and that, being a rebel, this is how he discovered Rock & Roll.

     The album is a compilation of songs that Charly has written throughout his career. It should be noted that, while he did well to recruit a guitarist and percussionist for the recording, it is Charly who sings all lead and background vocals, plays guitar as well as a mean bass throughout to album and even plays the drums on “Until the End of Time”, the one song recorded in English.

     The album kicks off, appropriately, with “Tres Milenos” and sets the tempo for the disc. It’s a great opener with a catchy hook of infectious, straight-forward Rock ‘n Roll and an homage to Charly’s first thirty years in the music business. Other stand-outs include “De Norte a Sur”, “Jaque al Rey”, and “Soy Zero”, all with very nice, upbeat tempo changes. The finale is the title track, “Un Vaso de Vino”, a kind of send-off that closes this nearly hour-long album. Charly told me he co-wrote it with his longtime friend, Leo Rodriguez, as a kind of dedication to their friendship. The entire album is a stroll down Charly’s musical career and the music a smart potpourri of Charly’s musical influences, all presented in original material.

     Charly Lopez has been a member of Electric Storm since 2006, performing regularly around Guanacaste. He also performs solo, as he did recently at El Coconut in Playa Tamarindo. The CD can be purchased at his shows and at Jaime Peligro book store in Tamarindo and Super Massai in Flamingo. His songs can be downloaded from iTunes and from the website: http://www.reverbnation.com/charlylopez . More information is also available at both Facebook sites for Charly and for Electric Storm. Charly is taking the band on tour to promote the album, playing initially in San Jose and then in Panama. His live performances are definitely worth checking out.

Malpais: A Retrospective

Malpais: A Retrospective

     A little more than a year after the sudden passing of Fidel Gamboa, I thought it might be time to look back on the impact of the band Malpais and the void created by Fidel’s tragic, early death, creating an end to this very popular musical group.

Tierra Seca

     Although the band had been together for some time, there first national exposure came in September of 2002, when they provided the back-up music for their uncle Max Goldemberg and his musical partner Odilon Juarez, for a recording at the Spanish Cultural Center in San Jose that was released as “Tierra Seca” on the Papaya Label. Though technically not a Malpais album per se, it reveals the genesis of a band that understands how to play as an intricate unit.

“Malpais Uno” was released the following year, a stunning initial venture of eleven new songs penned by the Gamboa brothers, demonstrating their Guanacastecan folkloric routes, but with their own contemporary, jazz influenced sound. Several of the songs on this album were destined to become classics, including “Son Inu’”, “Como un Pajaro” and “Malpais”. To date, “Malpais Uno” has sold more than 25,000copies, an astonishing number in a country the size of Costa Rica. In 2004, “Historia de Nadie” came out, the Gamboa boys unleashing their prolific songwriting abilities and the band evolving into sound genre uniquely their own. The album has sold more than 18,500 copies. I think they always demonstrated this willingness to leave open space for improvisation and growth and that this was an element that kept it interesting for all the band members as musicians.

Historia de Nadie

     Recorded in 2006, “Malpais en Vivo” proved to be a vehicle to showcase these improvisational skills throughout their recital of ten of their popular songs and four new ones. The crowd response throughout the concert is indicative of their popularity. The CD has sold more than 21,500 copies, an incredible amount for a live recording. It also introduced Daniela Rodriguez as a new vocal member of the group.

    The band’s next album, a twenty-six song, two disc, herculean monument titled, “Un Dia Lejano”, was released in 2009. It included a montage of session players, including a six piece horn section. It created a grand stage for the group to stretch out and grow and has sold an impressive 8, 5000 copies, which are really 17,000 discs of music…

Hay Ninos Aqui

     Released, the same year, “La Cancion de Edad” was a “hidden” Malpais album, kind of a follow-up to Tierra Seca that included Max Goldemberg. It’s a “back to the roots” project, with an obvious traditional Guanacastecan folk backbone, once again in presented with a contemporary twist. It’s been a well-kept secret, selling a little over 3,000 copies. In 2010, the Gamboa brothers set out to help commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of Vision Mundial, an institute in Costa Rica to help orphaned and homeless children here. The project began with five songs, but when the brothers brought the work to the rest of the band, it grew into an entire album, “Hay Ninos Aqui”. All proceeds from the album, which has now sold more than 6,000 copies, go to Vision Mundial, a true barometer the Malpais heart.

     Following the passing of Fidel last year, the remaining members of the band searched through the final songs he had been working on in the studio, and put together “Volver a Casa”, a gift to their fans. It has sold nearly 7,000 copies. It may seem cold, but I mention the numbers throughout this article because I feel it demonstrates the impact this group has had: nine discs in nine years, totally more than 90,000 sales. Numbers don’t lie: Malpais was the Costa Rican group of the decade.

      All the Malpais CDs are available at the three Jaime Peligro cooperative bookstores in Playa Tamarindo, Quepos and Nuevo Arenal.

Avelino Here, There & Everywhere

                                                      Avelino Here, There and Everywhere

     Fabio Avelino dos Santos was born in the small town of Limoeiro, near Recife, on the Atlantic coast of Brazil. He started playing guitar at the age of fifteen and began performing to audiences at the age of eighteen. He considers Brazilian musicians like Luis Gonzaga to be among his major musical influences, as well as the writer Paulo Coelho and The Beatles. Avelino had a big smile when he told me about the difficulty he had learning the Beatle song “Yesterday”, his eyes a little lost in memory. But then, Avelino smiles a lot.

     Let’s fast forward now to 2012. Fabio has been living in Tamarindo for nearly eight years. When he arrived, he spoke only Portuguese and he now handles himself very well in Spanish, English, Italian and French. His musical influences have grown to become international as he continues to perform in this town and outlying areas that get visitors from all over the world. If you go out at night in Tamarindo, chances are good you have seen him perform: he could easily be the hardest working musician here. He told me (smiling, again) that during the high season, it is not unusual for him to perform as many as twelve shows in a week. He recounted to me a time he played in Pinilla at midday, then a sunset show at Playa del Coco and wrapped it up with a night show in Tamarindo, then singing to himself on his way home on his scooter, to keep from falling asleep. His shows are exuberant as his passion for playing can be magnetic, drawing the crowd into his always upbeat energy.

Performing at Open Mike at Pasatiempo

     Fabio recently completed his new CD “Costa Rica Paraiso Tropical”. It was recorded live at a sunset show on June 10 of this year Langosta Beach Club. I believe it is one entire set, played consecutively from beginning to end, so it is an excellent representation of what to expect at one of Avelino’s shows. Fabio sings and plays guitar accompanied by local musician David Herzovich, who actually hales from Argentina. He plays a steady, anchored bass guitar, allowing Avelino to venture into his musical flights of fancy. As a duo, they call themselves Che Brasil. The twelve song set opens with a lively percussion and vocal intro, setting the tempo for the show. Avelino tracked and looped the basic percussion tracks and adds live percussion along the way. The music definitely has a Caribbean influence, as well as samba and bossa nova; it is very up-tempo, jubilant even. Standouts on the sixty minute disc include “Sina” and “Filhos de Gandhi”. My personal favorite is “Estrela Divina”, a song in which Fabio poetically describes an early evening star as a “descendent of the Big Bang”.

     Avelino also told me he is working on new songs that will continue to incorporate Spanish, Portuguese and English in the same lyrics, a true musical marriage of cultures. The CD is available at any Avelino live show; finding a live Avelino performance should not be a problem at all in the Tamarindo area: he’s everywhere!

   

Terry McLaughlin - Harmonica Player Exraordinaire

                                              Many Lives of El Gato

     Terry McLaughlin is a cat of many lives. He is an educated, interesting conversationalist and he loves to blow harp to some low-down, dirty blues. Terry was born in Letcher County, Kentucky’s poorest and has a sharp sense of humor that is somehow unable to hide his softer, compassionate side. He’s a cat of many lives, a few of which, he is ready to admit, he blew through when he was younger and time was expendable. Terry told me that gospel and “porch music”, especially of the Appalachian variety, were his first exposure to his lifelong fascination with music. He had his first paying gig as a musician at the age of thirteen and has been at it some forty-odd years since. After a lifetime of touring, in the new incarnation of El Gato, Terry and his wife Lynn have now been living in the Tamarindo area for about ten months. Terry shows up regularly at the Wednesday night Open Mike shows at Pasotiempo and this guy is a walking music encyclopedia, a true fellow music geek. He’s played in dozens of bands throughout his career and has played with some of the true blues greats, such as the three Kings: Albert, Freddie and B.B., and with Carla Thomas, who recorded with Otis Redding. Honestly, I’m in awe. And it is apparent in his stage presence that he is comfortable in his skin, a born “Front Man”.

     I recently picked up a copy of Terry’s CD, “El Gato”, an impressive collection of eight blues standards, recorded at the Dead Mule digital recording studio. The songs were recorded live, with Terry playing keyboards on the main tracks. He then went into the studio and overdubbed his harmonica work and background vocals. I thought it was a nice technique to intersperse songs with Terry accompanying himself only on harp in between songs by a band of hand-picked musicians whom he had worked with at various stages throughout his career and that he assembled for this recording. The guitarist, Little Little Milton, also played and recorded with Rufus Thomas. Terry had played with LLM but they had lost touch with each other. Twenty-five years later they ran into each other in Richmond, Virginia. Terry considered it a sign and recruited Milton for the session work; turned out it was a positive sign as the guitar work is slick and clean on the CD.

     The album kicks it off with Terry covering the Mississippi Sheiks hallmark “Sittin’ on Top of the World”. The second number unveils the band performing “634-5789”, a Wilson “The Wicked” Pickett gem. The band also does a great version of The Temptations classic “Just My Imagination” and Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground”. Terry also does deft solo delivery of Muddy Waters’ “Hoochie Coochie Man” that he should be proud of.

     El Gato has been performing solo around town, at Kahiki Restaurant and with the Leatherbacks at the Open Mike sessions at Hotel Pasotiempo on Wednesday nights. Terry recently performed a four hour solo blues revue at El Pescador that included an incredible tribute to Ray Charles. He is definitely worth checking out. Terry has performed at a plethora of private and corporate events and is available for bookings at terrymack55@aol.com or 8683.2408. With his musical expertise, I am sure he can streamline his show to accommodate any needs. You can pick up a copy of “El Gato” at his shows or at the Jaime Peligro book store in Playa Tamarindo.

Central American Music Box II

Cajita de Musica

     Largely overlooked by the global music scene, Central America is diverse and rich in its musical genres. Luckily for the music listener, there are people dedicated to exposing this treasure trove. Central American Music Box 2 is the second release contributed by Moka Discos in Nicaragua, Stonetree Records in Belize, Costa Norte in Honduras and Papaya Music in Costa Rica, under the collective name Central American Music Network. The first installment came out in 2010 and laid the groundwork in exposing both traditional and new, cutting edge musicians from this area. The new twelve-song CD is a welcome companion, expanding the list of bands and musical styles.

Guillermo Anderson

      The album opens with “Si tu no quieres” by Yomira John from Panama who sings a style of Afro-Latin and indigenous music, mixed into her own unique style, which was captured by Ivan Duran, founder of Stonetree, in his Belize studio. Also from Panama is Cienfue, with “Cosita Linda”, a song that blends traditional and folk music from that country, meshed with straight-forward Rock. Honduran Guillermo Anderson turns in a nice version of “La noche y su cancion” with his sweet voice accompanying his clean guitar work in his trademark, upbeat Caribbean style. The touching “Canta mandolina” by Malpais from Costa Rica reminds us of how lucky we have been to experience the artistry of Fidel Gamboa. Another highlight on the album is “Ineweyu” by Aurelio Martinez, who has carried the Garifuna banner since the passing of Andy Palacio. Aurelio is another discovery of Ivan Duran, who was responsible for mixing the entire album. Nicaragua is well represented by Katia Cardinal with her passionate voice and Perrozompopo with his equally passionate delivery, which was also recorded by Duran.

     I enjoyed hearing The Calypso Limon Legends doing their song “Stop”, with their authentic stamp of calypso in the whimsical lyrics. The Garifuna Collective play the spellbinding, “Weiyasu”, a reminder of the African-Arawat culture that is rapidly fading. And I believe this is the goal for these music boxes: to preserve musical styles before they disappear and to present new sounds from the area and make them both available to the entire world. Lloyd Augustine from Belize seems married to these two ideas with “Chatuye” a song that gives a nod to his Garifuna roots while incorporating new vocal harmonies and guitar work.

Sonambulo

     New to me is Malacates Trebol Shop with their song “Todo se pagara”, a Guatemalan rock band with four albums under their belt, well known in their country for their uninhibited lyrics, and an impressive contribution to this collection. And I was happy to see Sonambulo included in the new Central American Music Box with “Bolero Carabali” from their new CD. They are a signal of a new direction in the area, with their infectious “psicotropical” music and deserve this recognition.

     Central American Music Box 2 is the perfect progression from its predecessor, unveiling new and traditional music for a global audience. The result is a highly enjoyable serving of Central American music in all its diversity. The CD is available at the Jaime Peligro book stores in Tamarindo, Quepos and Nuevo Arenal. Any comments concerning this article are welcome.

The Gentle Swing of Rialengo

The Gentle Swing of Rialengo

     The first time I listened to “Musica Profana”, the new CD by Rialengo, I found myself being impressed time and again by the vocal and instrumental harmonies and the seamless, gentle flow of the melodies. The music is a mesh of Cumbia, from Colombia, and Swing Criolla, which itself is a marriage of Peruvian Criolla and American swing music, all blended in a Costa Rican, Latin stew.  Francisco Murrillo, the singer and songwriter of the band, has a perfect voice to portray this flowing music. Francisco was born in Rialengo, a neighborhood in Guapiles, on the road to Limon, on the Caribbean shore of Costa Rica. 

     The ten song disc reaches out still further musically, embracing influences from such diverse styles as Reggae, electronica, straight-forward Rock and even rap, all the while not losing its Swing Criolla backbone. And the music simply floats along, a very Caribbean sensation, indeed.  The opening “Intro” sets the mood right away, followed by “Cumbia” with the vocal harmonies of Bernardo Quesada and Karla Gutierrez. The use of female accompaniment on vocals is a very nice vehicle for this style of music, the harmonics blending beautifully with Francisco’s voice. Guitarist Carlos Delgado shows his expertise throughout the disc, especially on the reggae-influenced “Andar el Camino” and the rocky “La Malacrianza”; Carlos has been a part of the Costa Rican music scene for more than two decades, bringing an impressive resume with him, having played and recorded with too many names to list here, so I will only mention Manuel Obregon, Ray Tico, Perrozompopo, The Escats, Jazz Garbo and Bernardo Quesada, who co-produced the album with the band and sings back-up on many of the songs. Quesada recently released “Donde Te Espera Mi Nombre” with Rumba Jam, another swing Criolla CD, but of a more metropolitan sound, with more brass and horns. I would consider the two albums more complimentary than competitive. 

     But back to Rialengo and its diverse, smooth groove. I like the accompaniment of Hector Murillo on accordion on the song “Fin del Mundo” and the suave clarinet playing by Checko Davila on “Musica Profana” to lend to the sound of the American Swing era. I also think the exemplary keyboard work by Nelson Alvarez helps give this harmonic music a rich, full texture throughout the album. And guest appearances by Guadalupe Urbina, Yaco and Perrozompopo add to the disc’s diversity, as well as giving a nod of approval from these seasoned veterans.  The fact that Papaya Music, one of the premiere labels in Central America, has decided to distribute this project also speaks a lot about its potential.

     Swing Criolla is definitely undergoing a revival, potentially putting the musical genre and its accompanying dance style on the international map. When it does, Rialengo and the aforementioned Rumba Jam will be there to take their bows, and then, who knows, possibly go on a world tour together. Until then, their CDs are available at the Jaime Peligro book stores in Playa Tamarindo, Quepos and Nuevo Arenal, where they will gladly sample the music for their customers. Any comments concerning this article are welcomed. Check our Tamarindo Jaime Peligro site on Facebook.

Latin Beat from Putumayo

Latin Beat

     Latin music in varied forms has gone global in the Twenty-first Century, in no small part thanks to Putumayo Music. Oh, and Shakira and Carlos Santana. Putumayo recently released their new CD, “Latin Beat”, showcasing rising stars of the Latin Pop, R&B and Salsa genres and it is an impressive collection.

     The album opens with the Cuban band Moneda Dura, a band formed by two University of Havana students, singer/bassist Hugo Fernandez and singer/guitarist Nassiry Lugo. They have created a stylized Afro-Cuban rhythm to a Pop sound and on the song, “Goza” they incorporated vocals by Ibrihim Ferrer, who gained notoriety in the Buena Vista Social Club. It’s a great opening number for the disc, with a bright, alive sound from the first notes.

     The Colombian band Profetas also turn in a strong number with “Chocolate”. This band was also formed by two musicians, but they were from very different parts of Bogota: Antombo Langangui offering an Afro-Latin beat, played against Paul Fortitude’s hip-hop influence. One of my favorite cuts on the album is “Locuraleza” by Jontre, from Medellin, with their use of clarinet, blending the traditional Colombian genre with a modern Pop Latin sound. I also am partial to “Guajira” by Grupo Lokito, a Twenty-first Century version of The Funkadelics. This UK based band creates a gumbo of Congolese, rumba, salsa and seben, soukous and Cuban son. Founded by pianist Sara McGuinness and Jose Hendrix Ndelo, they have a frontline of truly glitzy performers, just coming off a very popular and successful live tour that culminated at the London African Music Festival.

Profetas

     Other standouts on this eleven song compilation include “Echale Guarapo” by the Cuban band Edesio, short for wiz kid Edesio Alejandro Salva, a master of electronica who has worked on many television shows and movies and was nominated for a 2010 Latin Grammy as well as a 2011 American Grammy; the Ecuadorian band Sarazino plays “Pelo Shao”, an Afro-Latin reggae song by the band’s brainchild Lamine Fellah, who was born in Algeria, raised in Quito and attended college in Montreal, before returning to the Andes; Mariposa Solar turns in a nice performance, too, with “Bonita Mente-Bonita Suerte”, a song that fuses acoustic South American folk with bossa nova, funk and cumbia, a unique blend, indeed; similarly, the Spanish band Digitano mixes gypsy flamenco with layers of synthetic effects on “Asi Sin Querer”.

     And Latin music from New Zealand? That is precisely what you get with Sola Rosa, the stage name for Andrew Spraggon, a one-man band from Aukland that grew to four members and are currently touring Europe and the U.S. with their brand of hip-hop, funk and jazz to a Latin beat.

     If I have a knock on this compilation, it is that of the eleven songs, seven of the bands are from Cuba or Colombia. I would like to have seen a little more diversity, but the presentation and all the songs are successful in their portrayal of the popularity of the Latin Beat in the Twenty-First Century.

     Latin Beat is available at the Jaime Peligro book stores in Playa Tamarindo, Quepos and Nuevo Arenal, where they will gladly sample the music for their customers. Any comments concerning this article are welcome. Please check out our Facebook page at Tamarindo Jaime Peligro.

Bernardo Quesada and Rumba Jam

Having a Swinging Time

     Criollo music actually originated in Peru, and was quickly absorbed by Venezuelan and Argentinean musicians. But swing criollo with its tico flavor had its genesis here in the Sixties with a merger of American Swing music and a Latin style of music from Colombia called cumbia. Initially, it was frowned upon, considered an uncultured, even crude style of music to a point where in the Seventies in San Jose, there were many signs at dancehalls and clubs proclaiming, “Swing Dancing Forbidden”. But the style continued and grew, both in popularity and refinement over the next forty years. Last 30 November, Costa Rica’s president Laura Chinchilla and Minister of Culture Manuel Obregon officially declared swing criollo “one of the expressions of dance of the intangible cultural heritage of Costa Rica”.

     Now, here to usher swing criollo into official credibility is another merger: Bernardo Quesada and Rumba Jam, with their new CD, “Donde Te Espera mi Nombre”. Rumba Jam is an eight piece band made up of graduates of University of Costa Rica, the National Institute of Music and the National University. They recently participated in the Festival de Artes Turrialba 2011 and the Tegucigalpa Jazz Festival 2011 in Honduras. They have also worked with the popular San Jose jazz Band Escats. Rumba Jam is a brassy band of piano, bass, percussionists and a deep section of trumpet, sax and trombones.

     Bernardo Quesada is a household name in the music business in Costa Rica, recognized as a performing musician with two CDs, “Cuervo Blanco” in 2000 and “Mas Cerca de mi Corazon” in 2007. He is an established producer, working with Editus, Malpais, Ruben Blades and more recently with Perrozompopo from Nicaragua. In the past few years he has been touring the U.S., Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Brazil and Colombia.

     The result is a very nice marriage of a fine composer and conductor working with a slick band. It’s obvious from the first song on the album, “Pa Curubande’ Yo Voy” that these guys are a nice fit and enjoy playing music together. Bernardo is a clever lyricist and has constructed songs to fit around the musical concept of the album; Rumba Jam does the rest. The music, which also includes Costa Rican Salsa, jumps right off the disc, directing the listeners’ feet to the dance floor. The title song, “Donde Te Espera mi Nombre” has a snappy, almost hypnotic staccato beat that is definitely infectious. Other standouts on the album include “De Tu Boca” and “Congoli Shango”, two very danceable tunes. The final song, “Salsa Marinera” is another tune with a mesmerizing beat, a nice send-off that should leave the listener anticipating the next project by Bernard Quesada & Rumba Jam.

     Papaya Music, one of Costa Rica’s premiere recording labels, has decided to distribute the CD, a vote of confidence that should give this CD excellent exposure. The CD is available at the Jaime Peligro book stores in Playa Tamarindo, Quepos, and Nuevo Arenal, where they will gladly sample the music for their customers.
     All comments about this article are gladly welcome. Please check out our Facebook page at Tamarindo Jaime Peligro.

La Cuneta Son Machin

La Cuneta Son Machin

     The musical genre referred to as chinamera in Nicaragua has always had the connotation of being the music of the poor, without finesse; but it is also the embodiment of the sounds that have been heard at festivals and street parties, at holiday parties and parties in general throughout the country literally for generations and is now appreciated, treasured and even revered by many of the general population. Enter: La Cuneta Son Machin, a young new band of six musicians from Managua that has fused this traditional musical style with their own humor, along with generous helpings of funk, pop and a good dose of Rock & Roll. Their goal has been to bridge traditional Nicaraguan culture with new cultural trends and on the way, they’ve become the best (and only) self-proclaimed “Cumbia-Rock-Latin-Chinamo-Funk” band in the country. Even their name (Curbside Sound Machine) is part tongue-in-cheek, but is also a fun way of saying “the peoples’ music. It started, not surprisingly, as a kind of joke during practices and sound checks – taking a traditional song and putting their unique spin on it. In a short time, they realized they had stumbled onto something new and enjoyed themselves while they were dong it. But make no mistake: through all the fun, they are still serious, talented musicians. The reaction to their live performances has been rapid and very positive. “We never thought the response from the people would be so big, so soon,” admitted lead singer Carlos “Frijol” Guillen. “We never imagined the people would be so enthusiastic”.

     Papaya Music in Costa Rica, always a frontrunner in supporting new, talented Central American musicians, has opened a large door for them, in distributing their new, vibrant album, “El Zafarrancho”, a ten song set that comes close to defying musical boundaries in a seamless conglomeration of sound. The first nine songs were recorded in Managua; the final cut, the Carlos Mejia Godoy classic, “La Hacienda de Don Nelo” was recorded live, complete with jubilant audience responses, and nearly jumps out of the speakers. Other standouts include the traditional “Entre Ritmos y Palmeras” with a very untraditional, straightforward Rock & Roll drive to it. To be sure, guitarist Omar “El Profesor” Suazo was well educated at the School of Rock, and brandishes his style through the whole disc, especially in songs like “La Del Mono Colorado” and another Godoy song on the album, “Un Gallo de Chilincocos”. The whole album is full of fun and energy, breathing new life for a new generation into a Nicaraguan tradition that has earned its respectability. Two sure indications that La Cuneta has obtained the respectability they deserve: they were recently flown to South San Francisco to play the State Room at a show sponsored by Movistar, and they performed live at this year’s Miss Teen Nicaragua.

     When asked if they were worried about being labeled a “gimmick band”, Frijol smiled wryly and mused, “It’s just the beginning”. I certainly hope so. The La Cuneta Son Machin CD, “El Zafarrancho” is available at the Jaime Peligro book stores in Playa Tamarindo, Quepos, and Nuevo Arenal. All comments to this article are gladly welcome. Check oout our facebook site at Tamarindo Jaime Peligro.