Customer Reviews

Entre la Habana y el Yuma

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This album has gotten more airplay on my latin and jazz radio show than any other in 2003.
Pianist Bill Wolfer took his Mamborama band to Cuba and many great Cuban musicians, like Giraldo Piloto, joined them to make this smokin', highly danceable album. Very highly recommended.

Congratulations are due to Bill Wolfer on this masterpiece. He is the first American to successfully lead a Cuban orchestra in Cuba, and was even nominated for a prize in Cuba. That is no easy feat! Anyone familiar with contemporary Cuban music will know two things: first, that Cuba is teeming with incredible music talent, and secondly, to play Cuban music successfully you have to master a very idiosyncratic style based on very complex rhythms. That is perhaps why, until now, no American has ever been able to successfully lead a Cuban band own their on home turf.

This album is a brilliant fusion of jazz with timba. The feel is basically timba but with the vocals taken out (on most of the songs) and much more room made for soloing. The fantastic arrangements keep up the excitement from the first note until the last.

If you aren't familiar with timba, but like latin jazz, then you'll be delighted with this album. It takes latin jazz to a new level, with much more dynamic and hard-hitting rhythms.

From the first chord, I realized that this is a world class band!, serious arrangements, good soneo, superb horn riffs, awesome piano solos by Bill Wolfer, top of the line guests, highly recomended for latin swing lovers, even if you don't dance!

I follow Cuban bands, like Bamboleo, NG, Los Van Van, Tiempo Libre and many other ones. Mamborama's sound is absolutely great!!!. Congratulations to Bill Wolfer for achieving such a wonderful sound.