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Heroes
Estrellas de Areito
Heroes
Genres: International Music, Latin Music
 
  •  Track Listings (7) - Disc #1
  •  Track Listings (7) - Disc #2

Call it the original Buena Vista Social Club. Back in 1979 a crew of Cuba's best musicians got together in Egrem Studios in Havana and recorded epic sessions that were later issued on Egrem's Areito label. Brought together...  more »

     
   
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CD Details

All Artists: Estrellas de Areito
Title: Heroes
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 1
Label: Nonesuch
Original Release Date: 7/6/1999
Release Date: 7/6/1999
Genres: International Music, Latin Music
Styles: Caribbean & Cuba, Cuba, Salsa
Number of Discs: 2
SwapaCD Credits: 2
UPC: 075597955125

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Call it the original Buena Vista Social Club. Back in 1979 a crew of Cuba's best musicians got together in Egrem Studios in Havana and recorded epic sessions that were later issued on Egrem's Areito label. Brought together by African musical impresario Raoul Diomandé, and under the direction of trombonist Juan Pablo Torres, these 30 "stars" poured their hearts into a series of long, energetic tracks (running 7 to 15 minutes apiece) that burn up the aluminum on the two CDs they are now housed on. Many names leap out of the roster: Paquito D'Rivera, Rubén González, Israel Perez, Pio Leyva, and Arturo Sandoval just for a start. They are small parts in a group that spanned three generations from across the island, and they fused the violin-based tipicas with the tres and horns of the jazzier conjuntos to create a sound that shook the city and spread out to the world. Torres's inventive arrangements and his willingness to allow for a lot of improvisation within that framework mark this as an exciting adventure. --Louis Gibson

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CD Reviews

This CD blew me away.
Robert Sullivan, MD | Woodland Hills, California USA | 09/05/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Recorded 20 years ago, this is a collection of the best Cuban musicians of the time. The tunes are descargas (jams) all done in one take, just as they happened. The energy is wonderful. Also, if you look at the photograph that is on the front cover of the CD jacket, you'll see a 20-years-younger Ruben Gonzales laughing uproariously with a few of the other players and wearing bell-bottoms. He's on piano on the CD and sounds great, more fiery than on Buena Vista Social Club. This is a terrific CD. It simply blew me away."
It's the best, the freshest, the most spontaneous!
Herve Bronnimann | New York City, NY USA | 08/20/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)

"All of the sudden, with so many Cuban music CDs, it's hard to know what to buy. So I asked my percussionist friend Andy (hi Andy!) who specializes in afro-cuban drumming, and is highly critical of all the hype surrounding BVSC (as much as I enjoy them). He was prompt in telling me of this old five-disc LP collection that he has, and if it's the same thing, don't walk, run, click like a madman, and get'em!If you like authenticity, spontaneity, and Cuban music, this is the best buy you can hope for until they release more of the old timers. Cuban music was at an all-time high in the 50s and 60s, and most of the artists on these two cds were performing in the best two or three groups of that era. Even though this recording came in late 1979, and was (incredibly) performed in a week, its improvisations are just mind-boggling. You will be witnessing witchcraft artistry at an incredible level.And the recording quality is absolutely not a reason to shy away from this purchase. Although from 1979, in Habana, with limited equipment, you could fear a bit; in fact, it turns out warm, full of life, and perhaps better than a clean digital recording that would have been made these days. Very pleasant also is a little booklet with the lyrics (and translation) and an illuminating commentary (done too rarely to my taste). The lyrics add so much to the music! especially for non-native Spanish speakers.If you have at least one BVSC recording, you'll have to at least borrow this one to educate yourself and reach another level in your appreciation of Cuban music. Along with "Cuban counterpoint, a history of the son montuno" these are my best two buys of the year. Highly recommended!"
Great musicians, very danceable, makes you feel great!
Herve Bronnimann | 08/16/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)

"As soon as I heard this CD in the sample section of a record store I was hooked. The latin beat is perfectly catchy without being frenetic and cheesy sounding like a lot of modern salsa. The music is probably the happiest thing I've ever heard. Havana must be (or must have been)quite a place if you could go out an hear this kind of stuff. This CD makes me want to join a Cuban Son band!"