Sunday, April 25, 2010

Antobal's Cuban All Stars 1957 & 1959 LP's

Antobal's Cuban All Stars
Cuban jazz arrangements by
 Chico O'Farril, Obdulio Morales,
Rene Hernandéz,
Rafael Somavilla,
Alberto Iznaga
and "Peruchin".
With many of the "first call" studio musicians
in Havana during the 1950's and early 1960's.

"Ay Caramba!"
1957
Antobal's Cuban All Stars

Alejandro "El Negro" Vivar: trumpet
Nilo Argudin: trumpet
Leonardo Timor Jr.: trumpet
Generoso "Tojo" Jimenéz : trombón
Antonio Linares: trombón
Amado Valdés: alto saxofón
Santiago Peñalver: alto saxofón
Emilio Peñalver: tenor saxofón
Pedro Chao: tenor saxofón
Oswaldo "Mosquitin" Urrutia: baritone saxofón
Pedro "Peruchin" Justiz: piano
"Felo" Hernandez: bajo
Marcelino Valdés: bongoes & Guiro
Guillermo "Barretico" Barreto:Drums & timbales
Girardo Rodriguez: tumbadora
"Justico" Antobal: maracas
Raul Azpiazu + Gina Martin: vocals

5. Este E' Mi Mambo
 (Piano solo: "Peruchin")

12. Ya Empezó
 

"Agua! Agua!"
1959
Antobal's Cuban All Stars
(cover photo with "Killer Joe" Piro in front of the girl)

Obdulio Morales: director
Alejandro "El Negro" Vivar: trumpet
Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros: trumpet
Domingo Corbacho: trumpet
Generoso "Tojo" Jimenéz : trombón
Antonio Linares: trombón
Santiago Peñalver: alto saxofón
Amado Valdés: alto saxofón
Emilio Peñalver: tenor saxofón
Emilio Chao: tenor saxofón
Oswaldo "Mosquitin" Urrutia: baritone saxofón
Pedro "Peruchin" Justiz: piano
"Felo" Hernandez: bajo
Guillermo "Barretico" Barreto: drums & timbales
"Oscarito" Valdés (Jr.): bongo y Güiro
Giraldo Rodriguez: tumbadora
"Justico" Antobal: maracas
Roberto Cordero: vocales

1. Agua! Agua!
(Piano solo: "Peruchin")

7. Los Timbales
(Guillermo Barreto: timbal)


Mango Mangüé
1959
Antobal's Cuban All Stars
(Cover art by Alarcón)

Obdulio Morales: director
Alejandro "El Negro" Vivar: trumpet
Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros: trumpet
Domingo Corbacho: trumpet
Generoso "Tojo" Jimenéz : trombón
Antonio Linares: trombón
Edilberto 'Eddy' Escrich: alto saxofón
Rafael Quesada: alto saxofón
Emilio Peñalver: tenor saxofón
Emilio Chao: tenor saxofón
Emilio Peñalver: flute
Oswaldo "Mosquitin" Urrutia: baritone saxofón
Pedro "Peruchin" Justiz: piano
"Felo" Hernandez: bajo
Guillermo "Barretico" Barreto: drums & timbales
 Oscar Valdés Sr.: tumbadora
Oscar "Oscarito" Valdés (Jr.): bongo y Güiro
Roberto Garcia: quinto
"Justico" Antobal: maracas
Roberto Cordero: vocales


 CD Reissue with  'Mango Mangüé' LP
plus second additional Antobal LP added.
Excellently remastered, great sound.
(Out of print)

"That Latin Beat"
Antobal's Latin All Stars
Vinyl LP on the Dot label

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Castro caps all the fad in Cuba



I don't think these would
sell very well in Miami.

Below is the real "original" hat made in the 1950's by
The "Society Brand Hat Company" in St. Louis, Missouri, who had the contract to make them for the military. The model was called "Ironsides" because the hat was designed to be completely stiff, you can not bend or fold it, unlike the ones
they sell now that are made to "look like" the original.
I bought this one on Ebay 7 years ago.

Carlos Vidal - Vidal Bolado y su Ritmo de Tambores


Carlos Vidal's late 1940's recordings on SMC.
Sound cleaned with GoldWave V.5

These were recorded in Queens, N.Y.C.
(in Gabriel Oller's studio)
The Woman singing is Mercedes Hernandéz
(not Merceditas Valdés)
(Mongo is not on these 4 sessions)

Mercedes Hernandéz

78rpm photos from
Myron Ort's web page

Rumba Columbia


Bembé


Abakúa

Rumba Guaguancó

Monday, April 12, 2010

Video: Cuba - Conj. Nasako "Ochun"


Conjunto Nasako
Luis Santamaria (Mongo Santamaria's cousin) singing.
Agustín Gutiérrez playing Chekere.
Jesús Pérez playing el Hierro (guataca).
And Sonia Calero dancing.
(3 drums made by Candido Requena)

"Ochun"

Saturday, April 10, 2010

In memoriam: Yolanda Castro

Yolanda Castro
4/8/10
R.I.P.
Iba ayé ba yé t'orún

Anacaona
Yolanda Castro
and her sisters with Alberto Socarras

Friday, April 9, 2010

Jean Vincent, Alberto Socarras, Marcelino Guerra, Mongo Santamaria, "Patato" Valdez, Willie Bobo "The Soul Of Haiti" 1957

"The Soul Of Haiti"
1957
Vinyl LP on Vanguard

On these sessions Haitian Jean Vincent brought in the master Alberto Socarras arranger and flute, Marcelino Guerra playing guitar, Ramon "Mongo" Santamaria together with Carlos "Patato" Valdez and William "Willie Bobo" Correa on percussion.

The arrangements by Socarras were meant to be lush, tropical and "exotic" which they are and his flute playing is uniquely "Socarras".
Mongo's drumming in 1957... physically powerful.
Mongo, Patato and Willie not being adept in "authentic Haitian drumming/rhythms", basically applied what they were adept at, which was Cuban derived drumming mostly in 6/8.
A lot of which was "improvisational" for these sessions.

7. Damballa

11. Pésé Café

13. Yanvalou

14. Haiti Cherie
Marcelino Guerra: guitar

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

In memoriam: Graciela Grillo Pérez dies at 94


Graciela Grillo Pérez
August 23, 1915 La Habana, Cuba.
April 7, 2010, N.Y.C - 94 years old
.
*** Ibayé bayé tonu ***
R.I.P.

"Algo Bueno"
1937 con Anacaona

"Si, Si, No, No"
1949 en vivo con Machito

"A Cuba"
Con Machito

"La Bochinchera"
Con Machito

"Delirio"
Con Machito

"Alma Con Alma"
Con Machito


Gracie with "da' band"

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Candido Requena bongoes hecho en Cuba '50-'55

These were made in Cuba, by Candido Requena
sometime between 1950 and 1955.
I've had them for about eight years and I
sent them to Matt Smith to have them
refinished and to have a crack repaired.
I got them back last week.
Matt did a great job, as I knew he would.

"Before and after" photos:


This is how they look now after being refinished,
re-stained, crack repaired, new center post,
new bolts and back up plates.
The hardware is the original except for the lugs.
I put new skins on.
6½ Macho 7½ Hembra