Percussion Madness

Luisito Quintero

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 16, 2006)
• Original Release Date: May 16, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rapster
• ASIN: B000F1HGTC
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #77,115 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Oil and Hugo Chavez dominate the news from Venezuela, but this brilliant debut CD, by the Caracas-born percussionist Lusito Quintero, who has toured and recorded with everybody from Oscar D'Leon to Alicia Keys, should provide a well-deserved respite from those headlines. The title track is a three-track timbales tour de force, and Quintero's rousing rendition of Tito Puente's immortal "Four Beat Mambo" shows his debt to the master. The late Ray Barretto is saluted with sizzling syncopation on the torrid take of "Acid," and the Fania All Star-fueled "Quintero's Jam," with pianist Hilton Ruiz, is a Latin jazz workout. Quintero's sonic citizenship extends to the Brazilian bossa nova cut "Aquilas Coisas Todas," Fela's Afropop anthem "Gbagada, Gbagada, Gbogodo, Gbogodo," featuring bassist Francis Mbappe, and "M'Bongi," which is pulsed by central African drums. South American by birth and culturally Caribbean, Quintero is well-versed in Afro-Cuban rhythms and is adept at applying them in a diasporic context. --Eugene Holley, Jr.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars louie vega hits again, June 13, 2006

By	GAI Gohari (new york) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

this superb cd produced by louie vega is another gem in your elements of life/masters at work collection.
luisito quintero plays great,great percussions and all the musicians which collaborate with him do a phenomenal job.
the sound in the cd is sharp and clean.
all the productions are catching and easy to get along with.
you could dance and you could chill at the same time,that's what louie vega is all about.
this cd deserves it all...

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Louie and Luisito: Mad, Bad, and Hot , December 9, 2006

By	EJ "EJ" (Phila, Pa USA) - See all my reviews

Percussion Maddness it is...and it is blazin' HOT. This Louie Vega production featuring percussionist Luisito Quintero is the most exciting cd I have heard all year. Listening to this cd takes you on a panoramic journey through the best of African and Latin rhythms...and on this trip you will also experience those sweet New York Latin jazz fusion, and soul sounds. Filled with surprises, you will hear renditions (phenomenal jams) of Fela, Ray Baretto,and Tito Puente songs. You will also hear a beautiful version of the Toninho Horta song, "Aquilas Coisas Todas." If it sounds familiar, it means you fondly remember the Starship Orquestra version of this song. If I were to pick a favorite, it would be "Quintero's Jam." This track features the late pianist, Hilton Ruiz before his tragic and untimely passing...you hear his tremendous talent, he shines through on this track. Aside from the indescribable skill of Luisito, the musicians on this production are top notch and include Nestor Torres, Francis Mbappe, and Aquilas Baez. This is the type of music that has longevity, this cd will always sound innovative...it will become a classic without a doubt. I once read a reviewer describe Latin jazz as "predictable." The beauty of Latin jazz is that is it anything but predictable. Kudos to Louie and Luisito, keep this creative partnership growing.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Drums unleashed, January 25, 2008

By	C. W. Hall "http://www.chriscospins.com" (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Luisito Quintero is a Venezuelan percussionist who has been a backbone in the music of Louie Vega's Elements of Life project for years. Percussion Maddness realizes Louie's ambition to form a record with Luisito's virtuosity as the centerpiece.

If you go into the record with any doubts whatsoever, Quintero proves his worth right from the beginning with a title track consisting of him and timbales. That's it and it's dope. Just in case you forget the moral of the album's first track, Luisito pounds it back into your head about midway through with "Quintero's Jam." The lesson? Luisito Quintero is one of the illest percussionists you'll ever hear.

If Quintero is incredible on his own, the addition of Louie Vega's production takes things even further. Whether covering classic joints from Fela ("Gbagada, Gbagada, Ghogodo, Ghogodo") or Tito Puente ("Four Beat Mambo") or crafting originals like "Our Love" and "Love Remains the Same", the combination of Vega and Quintero's complimentary musicalities is formidable.

At times this feels like a sidebar to the larger Elements of Life project and it might be. It features a great many of the same musicians and Vega's overriding musical personality is clearly evident. But if the only purpose was to bring Quintero into a more direct spotlight for a moment, then Percussion Maddness succeeds wonderfully. Consider it an album-length acknowledgement that sometimes the best thing you can do is "Give the drummer some."