Caribenos - Latin American Music for the Marimba

Orlando Cotto

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 4, 1998)
• Original Release Date: November 4, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Orlando Cotto
• ASIN: B00000HZ8U
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #277,969 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Gordon Stout, music professor, Ithaca College, January 24, 1999
"The performances are beautifully crafted. I highly recommend Caribenos to all marimbists and lovers of Latin American music.",

Product Description
Congratulations to those of you who have purchased a copy of the CD; you have made a wise choice. For those who need a little encouragement: go ahead, take a chance, you will not be disappointed. This is a recording unlike any other you have heard. It is good for any type of audience. For the "New Age" listener, this recording brings a new level of beauty and joy to the music industry. For the Classical listener, the music will move your feet. For the Latin music listener, you wondered why it took so long to get this published. Needless to say, I had a hard time deciding where to place this recording under the Amazon categories. But be assured that the music is easy to understand. To put it simply, this recording took some of the best traditional music from Latin American countries and re-invented them on a classical music instrument, the concert marimba.

Fernando Meza describes the instrument in the CD liner notes: "The marimba as a solo instrument has only come of age over the past few decades. This recording will undoubtedly contribute to the future professional development of the marimba, both because it is tremendously enjoyable character and because of the artist's high level of "musicianship". Orlando is able to sail through the murky waters of demanding technical passages making the music come alive in all its splendor. As we move into the twenty-first century and more demands are placed on performers to reach ever-higher levels of artistic excellence, creative and unique voices such as [Orlando's] will be the ones dictating the future of this instrument".

Fernando continues to talk about the recording: "Coming from the small town of Cayey in Puerto Rico and being able to draw from the extensive musical traditions of Latin America, [Orlando] offers in this recording a musical bouquet of delicious inspiration and daring undertaking. The adventurous quality and demanding virtuosity of works like Caribenos by Andrew Lazaro, or Piedra en la Piedra by Ricardo Lorenz, along with the delicate beauty of Piazzola's Historia del Tango and other gems included here are representative of [Orlando's] sensitive musical nature. With a thorough understanding of Latin rhythms and harmonies, this gifted artist dives into the depths previously unexplored by other marimbists and makes us engage and relate to the wonderful subtleties of the complex world of Latin music".

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent Marimba Music, February 24, 2002

By	E. Taylor Atkins (Sycamore, IL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a splendid CD. I came across it in a general search for marimba music. For those who might think of "Latin" music in rather limited terms--son, samba, etc.--this CD will come as a revelation. The program is tremendously varied, with both danceable pieces and more abstract, darker compositions that beautifully exploit the instrument's warm sonority. I had the pleasure of seeing Cotto perform live recently: he is a dynamic performer whose mastery of this difficult instrument looks effortless. No one will regret purchasing this.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A landmark recording!!!, April 6, 1999

By A Customer

Your CD is a landmark on the history of latin music written for the marimba because it is one of the few available on this particular genre. The repertoire is very well balanced, your performance perfect while Giovanni Hidalgo's participation gives the authentic latin touch. A+ to you, congratulations!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Dasappointed, July 26, 2008

By	Western Sam (Edmonton, Alberta Canada) - See all my reviews

I love marimba and Latin music in general. I was expecting more relaxing, soothing and/or upbeat type of music. In my opinion most pieces on this cd were of serious nature and dark at times, not my kind of music.I wish there were sample tracks to listen to and save me some money.