Search - Sexteto Habanero :: 1926-1931

Recordings of Classic Cuban Son

Alan Bobé-Vélez | New York, New York | 03/15/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"El Sexteto Habanero is one of the great exponents of that most basic of Afro-Cuban ritmos, el son. These recordings from the 1920s still speak to us today. They are as fresh as the day they were first recorded. Tunes of the caliber of "La Loma de Belén", "Espabílate", "Tin Cun Tan", and "Preludio de Godinez", to name only a few, are timeless. I remember being a child in the late 1950s--growing up in this Northern exile called New York--and hearing these tunes for the first time as my parents and/or relatives either sang these sones or played the records (which were in surprisingly good condition, considering how old these 78s were by then). I recommend without the slightest reservation this collection of some of the recorded output of one of the masters of Cuban music, the legendary Septeto Habanero. So, pour yourself a glass of good quality rum, stoke up a puro (if that is your desire), and listen to this great ageless music. You are in for a treat. I'll be joining you, that's for sure!"