Search - Batacumbele :: Con Un Poco De Songo

A Salsa/Songo/early Latin Jazz enthuiast's must have!

Rene Gonzalez | Amherst, MA United States | 06/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Batacumbele was Puerto Rico's premier fusion group, in the tradition of such groups as Irakere (from Cuba). Batacumbele was WAY ahead of its time. This production (along with En Aquellos Tiempos) collected Puerto Rico's best percussionists, as well as showing off some of the early work of such music greats as flutist Nestor Torres, bassist Eddie "Gua Gua" Rivera, drummer Ignacio Berroa (of United Nations Orchestra fame), and even THEN up and coming conguero Giovanni Hidalgo (now recognized as the world's greatest conga player). Anthony Carillo, one of the greats of the bongo, plays in "En Aquellos Tiempos", their second album.Creative and inventive, Batacumbele was the creation of percussionist Cachete Maldonado. It fused together the older African traditions of the Bata drums and Caribbean music styles with modern funk, jazz and rock. Unfortunately, Batacumbele was too complex and advanced a group in a commercial salsa environment that emphasized syrupy "erotic salsa" as the standard. They did not fare well in that market, although their music was a thousand times more valuable and advanced than what passed as "good" music in the Caribbean.You want "erotic salsa", look to other CDs. You want to hear Puerto Rico's best musicians in one of the classic CDs of Latin Music and Caribbean percussion? Get Batacumbele!"