Search - Andy Harlow :: Sorpresa La Flauta

Good, although a bit too short for your money

S. | 07/15/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This 1972 Vaya Records (Fania) Remastered release UNFAIRLY re-issued by Emusica, the new owners of Fania as a Limited Edition of 5010 copies is a nice 2-Trombone and one flute album with some good songs, but being too short for your money, as it includes 2 boleros which would reduce the playing time to 27 Mins of music, with only 6 songs... That's where my problem is. If it had 2 more songs, at least, then I would have definitely decided to keep this Cd...



Now, judging on the content, Ismael Miranda, the recording director of this album, also on chorus, wrote 3 songs which once again, are the standouts of this Cd: Ay Que Bueno, No,Que Va Llorar (and the Bolero Amor Perdido, which isn't of my taste, obviously...)

Ay Que Bueno is a very nice easy going and very pleasant "Charanga-rhytmed" tune with great choruses, nice arrangements, and a different chorus at the end. I find it very enjoyable and the band shines through together very well!



Cambia El Paso (another "Charanga-rhythmed" tune) is a quite good song where Ismael's voice comes through at the beginning of the song in the chorus, and then Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez's voice also shines through on the main chorus of the song: " Cambia El Paso !!" containing a fairly rhythmical and technical piano solo by Colombian José Madrid.



No,Que Va Llorar is one of the best tunes of the album with a tighter and more rhythmical swing (more in the N.Y Salsa style) containing nice arrangements in the middle of the song and a few good Trombone solos before singer Johnny Vazquez wraps the last few bars of the song...



The title track, Sorpresa La Flauta (which is the title of one of the songs that Maestro Israel Lopez "Cachao" recorded in one of his famous late 1950's Descarga LP's) in this case is an overstatement let me permit to say this, as Andy Harlow hardly does ANYTHING on the flute throughout the whole album! He doesn't deliver himself enough; he doesn't put the effort to get a long, creative and imaginative enough pattern on any of his Flute "solos"!

They're WAY too basic and short; and there was more than enough space on this whole album for Andy to get jamming seriously! (Which, as a Flute lover that I am, I think would have given a little 'extra plus', and a bigger swing to this album!...)

Otherwise, the song is very very good, very pleasant, although a bit repetitive.

It contains nice and short interplays of Timbal, Conga and Bongo solos, and good swinging arrangements particularly at the end of the song.



Curet Alonso's El Primer Montuno, which is in between a Son Montuno and a "Charanga-rhythmed" tune again, is a much more musical treat here, with really great arrangements throughout the whole song and a few basic Andy Harlow flute interplays. This is one of the songs that I especially enjoy listening from this album...



The massive hit La Loteria at the end, is very nice and makes the album finish in real beauty, with an easy going, but tight playing and very swinging rhythm and good accompanying arrangements!

The problem is: IT'S TOO SHORT!!! The people in charge finished it after only 3:18 mins, gradually turning the volume down to finish the tune!

When you consider the useless, but quite funny Lotery ticket bla-bla-bla at the beginning, it's really "mick-taking" as the song was far from finished; it had more to offer!

I personally think that those extra mins, would've made the playing time of the album worth my money, as it would have gone over 1/2 an hour of music!...



This album is NOWHERE NEAR AS BAD FOR IT TO HAVE BEEN UNFAIRLY RELEASED AS A LIMITED EDITION BY EMUSICA!!!



With all the quality stuff there was at that era, for some reason, this one apparently was one of the very highest selling albums for Fania, so:

DO YOU SEE ANY LOGIC IN THIS BEING RELEASED AS A LIMITED EDITION!!??





(Check this album out, it's NOT "un-buyable"!...)







Remastered by: Miami Tapes. Sound Quality: 7/10 Nice and smooth sound, pretty sharp at the same time, and a quite good volume.







Song titles:

1.Ay Que Bueno - Arranger: Javier Vázquez 3:59

2.Cambia El Paso - Arranger: Mark Weinstein 4:42

3.Superstar - Arranger: Barry Levitt 3:42

4.No, Que Va A Llorar - Arranger: Javier Vázquez 4:11

5.Sorpresa La Flauta - Arranger: Andy Harlow 6:43

6.Amor Perdido 2:45

7.El Primer Montuno - Arranger: Andy Harlow 4:41

8.La Loteria - Arranger: Mark Weinstein 3:18



Musicians:



Andy Harlow Leader/flute

Johnny Vasquez Vocalist

Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez Coro

Adalberto Santiago Coro

Ismael Miranda Coro

Jose Madrid Piano

Alfredo Rodriguez Piano

Joe Santiago Bass

Louis Kahn Trombone

Leopoldo Pineda Trombone

Abie Lima Timbales

Frankie Rodriguez Congas

Dizzy "Izzy" Sanabria 3 voices on "La Loteria"

Nicky Marrero Bongos.

"