El Bestial Sonido de... Ricardo Ray & Bobby Cruz Vaya Records (VS-1) El Bestial Sonido is the best album in the catalogue of music by Ricardo Ray & Bobby Cruz. It is a must-have for fans of Los Durisimos. Most would agree that in its early New York days, the orchestra saw some of the finish musicians of salsa & jazz. Trumpeters Aolpheus Doc Cheatham, Pedro Chapparo, & timbal player Mike Collazo are excellent examples. What is truly indisputable is that the most astounding lineup of the Richie Ray Orchestra was the very one that recorded El Bestial Sonido in 1971, confirming what everybody already knew: the best instrumentalists in the history of salsa have been Puerto Rican. El Bestial Sonido De Ricardo & Bobby Cruz is a classic because of the orchestras masterful & irresistible interpretations, Bobby Cruz & Miki Vimaris vocals, & the bands successful repertoire, which was certainly one of the most stimulating & perfectly balanced of all time. It was musical success that consecrated Richie as the most multifaceted pianist, arranger, composer, & orchestra director of his genre. You only need to hear the first bar of Sonido Bestial to appreciate Richies savvy in creating a tapestry of rhythms combining the jala-jala, guaguanco, jazz & classical music in a solo that evokes the influences of formal European music, with ingenious variations on the melodies of Stravinsky & Bach. Aside from achieving cultural transcendence by intergrating distant musical forms, El Bestial Sonido, is an album with unquestionable sociological value. In 1971, the country was tormented by the Boricua blood being spilled throughout Vietnamese jungles in a conflict that enshrouded hundreds of Puerto Rican families in grief & polarized the country on the question of whether to support the United States in the Vietnam war. Ricardo Ray & Bobby Cruz strived to console their Boricua brothers with a song Guaguanco Triste by Ruben Blades. This is a song of hope, with an exceptional arrangement that combines the guaguanco, classical music, the boogaloo, the bomba, & the jala-jala. At a time when many criticized the superficiality of salsa, Ricardo & Bobby proved with Blades composition that they could use music to make people dance - or to make them reflect on life. Another great example is the bands version of a ballad with hints of soul, blues, & bolero: Fire & Rain by James Taylor. Interestingly, this is one of the first songs in the bands repertoire that alludes to God, the Supreme Being, to whom they would dedicate their talents officially in 1976, beginning with the album Rican/Struction. However, like other great musicians of the time, Ricardo & Bobby also paid homage to Yuruba deities on countless occasions & prior to their transformation, they paid tribute to the saint with Pablito Rosarios guaguanco number Cha Cha Huele Chango, at a time when musicians were trying to survive in an atmosphere of jealousy, lies, & hypocrisy. The contributions from Manengue Hidaldo on the congas, Manolito Gonzalez on the bongo, cowbell & Paila, & Charlie on timbal are extraordinary. With El Bestial Sonido, Ricardo & Bobby also stepped to the forefront by being the first to adapt romantic ballads to the genre. One example is Joan Manual Serrats popular song Señora, which the band performed without montuno or a refrain. In the bands version, Bobby, a singer influenced by Rafael Chivirico Davila, reaffirmed - as he did in Fire & Rain - that he could shine in other genres. His duet with Miki Vimari in the bolero version of the immortal tango number Volver by Carlos Gardel & Alfredo Lepera confirms this. Bobbys countermelody is exquisite, & in the first few bars of both Volver, & La Vimari, Miki - who had previously collaborated with the band on albums In Orbit & El Diferente - captures a sensual bossanova that leads into a beautiful son. After Ricardos experiments with female vocalists such as Nydia Caro & Carmen Soto, it was clear that Miki was the singer this orchestra had been looking for. 40 years after its original release, El Bestial De Ricardo Ray & Bobby Cruz is a must have, an album worthy of the attention of music lovers around the world. Most importantly, it is an album radio stations should play for younger generations to enjoy. Enjoy! Side A 1. Sonido Bestial 2. Señora 3. No Tin Pena 4. La Vimari Side B 1. Guaguanco Triste 2. Fire And Rain 3. Cha Cha Huele Chango 4. Volver Personnel: Ricardo Ray: Leader, Acoustic Grand Piano, Countermelody Ismael Cocolia Rodriguez: 1st. Trumpet Ismael Maelo Rodriguez: 2nd. Trumpet Manolito Gonzalez: Bongo, Cowbell, Pailas (Timbalitos) Jose Manengue Hidalgo: Conga Charlie El Pirata Cotto: Timbales Mike El Che Amitin: Ampeg Baby Bass Lead Vocals: Bobby Cruz Miki Vimari Coro: Ricardo Ray Bobby Cruz Miki Vimari Musical Arrangements by: Ricardo Ray Bobby Cruz Produced by: Ricardo Ray & Bobby Cruz Executive Producer: Jerry Masucci Recording Director: Johnny Pacheco Album Cover & Liner Photos: Maurice Seymour Album Cover Design: Izzy Sanabria Recording Engineer: Pedrito Fernandez Mixed by: Fred Weinburg Recorded @: Ochoa Recording Studios, San Juan, PR VAYA RECORDS, 1971 A FANIA RECORDS PRODUCTION
Posted on: Sun, 25 May 2014 01:00:12 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015