Customer Reviews

Los Hombres Calientes, Vol. 2

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Sometimes, when a group you love releases a new disc, there is a nervous anticipation in the days leading up to it. "Can they do it again? Will it be fresh?" etc... All these thoughts ran through my mind. Have no fear. Los Hombres Calientes do not become complacent on their second outing. From the string quartet on "Cuban Suite, Pt. 1" to the NOLA rap/brass band mixed in with latin vocals on "A Comer Y A Descargar", they have beguiled and amazed me yet again. Summers, Marsalis, Mayfield, et al drive home their intoxicating blend of latin rythms and Big Easy soul. I am not kidding; nothing else sounds like these guys. From the straight NOLA jazz sound at the beginning of "Blues De Enredo" to the funk smackdown of "Chameleon/We Want The Funk" that ends the disc, you will be amazed at how all of these sounds can coexist and become greater than the sum of their parts.

LHC is on the move, indeed! If you are one of the many Jazzoholics who believe they have heard it all and that there is nothing original out there anymore, slap this one in your changer, and change your outlook.

Having lived with, and listened to, Hombres Calientes, Volume 2, for several months, I have come to the conclusion that the disc is like a subway car ride through many musical neighborhoods. After each cut, it is as though the listener re-enters the darkness, each time emerging to a different beat, style or rhythm. While not all of the tracks work, enough should catch your attention in a first listening to prompt you to go back and re-visit and experience. Soon, you may find yourself enjoying every stop on the route.

I have seen Los Hombres Calientes at least 7 times including each of the past 3 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festivals. Their live show is one of the greatest shows I have ever seen. I know why they won the Billboard Music Award. Such imagination, technique, and musicianship from each of their members. Yvette is a beautiful woman whose presence on stage enhances the feeling of the crowd and teaches some of us who are not so great at dancing how to move gracefully to music. Irvin Mayfield is going to be near the top of the list of the best trumpeters ever...up there with Miles, Wynton, and Freddy. Bill Summers is the most gifted percussionist on the planet. I leave both of their first 2 CD's in my CD player all the time and can't wait for their 3rd.

This CD is definitely one of my absolute favorites. It is always one of the 5 cd's in my cd player and I have another copy for the car. This is truly inspired and ORIGINAL music. I'm lucky enough to live in New Orleans, so I can sometimes catch LHC live! Bill Summers (of HeadHunters fame) is a musical genius. LHC have a great international sound mixed with some true new orleans flavour! Irvin Mayfield has got to be the most talented young artist around. His style is really his own, and his compositions are original and moving. You don't have to think twice about this purchase. This CD is a MUST HAVE.

Los Hombres Calientes is a New Orleans-based aggregation headed by percussionist Bill Summers, trumpeter Irvin Mayfield, and drummer Jason Marsalis. These three act as the nucleus, picking up other musicians to join in with them; on this recording, Victor Atkins on piano, Yvette Summers on percussion, and Edwin Livingston on bass fill out the main group, with other musicians joining in on various cuts. As you might guess, the music is performed with an Afro-Cuban accent. The program is quite eclectic, ranging over soul, funk, folk, with the musicians seeming to be having the time of their lives energizing the tunes. One of the most fun recordings to come along in quite a while.

I went to see this group live in Houston last night and bought this CD before the concert started. Unfortunately, I should have waited till intermission and saved the $15 instead. Not knowing anything about Los Hombres Calientes I expected a true Latin Jazz group as advertised in their billing. Unfortunately this group does not have one ounce of Latin blood or spirit among them and it shows in this CD and their performance. One of the pieces they attempted last night was Mandinga, a great Cuban guaracha/son which they simply botched. Los Hombres Calientes must be trying to capitalize on the current popularity of Latin music, given their name and billing, however they should call themselves The Hot Men and play New Orleans jazz instead, a genre better suited for their style. If you want to listen to a real Mandinga, buy the Ruben Gonzales version on World Circuit.