Hector Lavoe Comedia Fania Records (JMLP-522) This historical recording defines the tempestuous career of New York salsa legend, Hector Lavoe. Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Lavoe became famous in New York where his crystal clear tenor voice captured the reality of Nuyoricans, while reminding them of their rustic jibaro. (country) roots. His diversity of rhythms, beats & genres in an era where singers were either soneros or boleristas, was fluent, precise, timed & rhymed in spontaneous verses of improvisation. Through the combination of Lavoes voice & musical training he received in Puerto Rico combined with the street-smart, more visceral knowledge of Willie Colon, the team mixed the best of Puerto Rico & New York - expressing hard-core salsa along with plenas, decimas, boleros, bombas, guajiras, murgas, & son montunos. Comedia comes at a time in Lavoes solo career when he needed to get back on the charts & into the clubs. This third solo recording produced by by his former partner, highlights Colons eclectic musical taste & arrangements, propelling dancers from New Yorks Corso to the festivals of Colombias Cali to synergistic levels of creative expression. Producer Willie Colon sought something special for Lavoe & reached out to singer/songwriter Ruben Blades who Colon had teamed up with for the production of Siembra. Blades was working on a composition for himself but agreed to give it to Lavoe instead. El Cantante became Lavoes comeback signature song. Most notably, this album is known for four throw down dance numbers that were performed live & often created frenzy on the dance floor. While El Cantante features a touch of strings & harp above the percussion, lending a tinge of elegance to the melancholy lyrics, Bandolera has left a permanent mark on the music distinguished by a brilliant piano solo by Gilberto El Pulpo Colon that spotlights the pianists dynamics & range sampling tasty melodies from classical standards like Orchichornia to the folkloric Alegria bomba E ending in a driving montuno that recalls Bilongo. You can hear the Ismael Rivera influence on Lavoes music when he vocalizes along with the trombone riffs of Reinaldo Jorge. A brilliant arrangement by the late trumpeter Jose Febles, Bandolera, albeit its misogynynistic lyrics is a balanced blend of a Lavoes vocal expertise woven around a tight musical ensemble that personifies the drive of old school salsa. La Verdad, also arranged by Colon, is a delightful dance addition that breaks down into a samba & comes back strong for the dancer. A tasty son-montuno, Songoro Consongo, arranged by Edwin Rodriguez paints a musical picture of tribal dancing in the solar (ghettos). The title tune, Comedia, arranged by trumpeter Luis Perico Ortiz, underscores Lavoes more subtle & sublime timber on this bolero. Suggesting the influences of masters such as Felipe Rodriguez & Cheo Feliciano on the young Lavoe, Comedias orchestral feeling, & masterful brass & string harmonics compliment the snuggling sensation this tune evokes. Tiempo Pasados , is a more even-tempoed dance number by Jose Febles interspersed with suave samba sequences that inspired creatively while evoking the memories of a youth that cannot be re-lived. A classic bolero from the 1970s, Poque Te Conosi , also arranged by Febles, brings you closer to Lavoes vocal depth & emotion. Singing about a romance he can never have, Lavoe evokes the bitter sadness of unrequited love that ends after the dance is over. Over the years, El Cantante has become a Latin music standard & a career-defining composition for Lavoe. Gilberto Colons jazzy piano voice behind Lavoes lament as the artist who inspires Joy while he alone suffers great pain, decoratively colors the singers voice. The trumpet solos by first Febles & then Ortiz characterize the respective laid back & aggressive styles of both players while Lavoes jibaro a le lo lei laments are very reminiscent of the moorish chants to Allah common in 17th century Spain. The song describes the bittersweet & ironic life of the artist as tragic figure with Lavoe profoundly embracing this role from his costumed imitation of Charlie Chaplin on the cover, to paralleling Chaplins exile from Hollywood with Lavoes own self- imposed exile from his artistic success. Surely, Lavoe reflects his greatness as well as his pain in this historical recording. Enjoy! Side A 1. El Cantante * 2. Comedia *** 3. La Verdad * 4. Tiempos Pasados ** Side B 1. Bandolera ** 2. Porque Te Conosi ** 3. Songoro Consongo **** Personnel: Salvador Cuevas: Electric Fender Bass Gilberto Pulpo Colon: Acoustic Piano, Fender Rhodes Electric Piano Jose Rodriguez: Trombone Reinaldo Jorge: Trombone Luis Perico Ortiz: Trumpet Jose Febles: Trumpet Jose Mangual Jr: Bongo, Cowbell Eddie Montalvo: Conga Jose Signo: Trap Drums Steve Berrios: Timbales, Percussion (A1, A3) Milton Cardona: Conga (A1, A3) The Irving Spice String Ensemble Lead Vocals: Hector Lavoe Coro: Jose Mangual Jr. Milton Cardona Willie Colon Ernie Agosto Eddie Natal Hector Lavoe Musical Arrangements by: Willie Colon * Jose Febles ** Luis Perico Ortiz *** Edwin Rodriguez **** Produced by: Willie Colon Executive Producer: Jerry Masucci Musical Director: Jose Febles Recording Director: Willie Colon Album Cover & Liner Photos: Yoshi Ohara Album Cover Design: Michael Ginsberg/Gazebo Group Art Director: Alberta Dering Recording Engineers: Jon Fausty Mario Salvati Irv Greenbaum Mixed by: Willie Colon Recorded @: La Tierra Sound Studios, NYC FANIA RECORDS, 1978 A FANIA RECORDS PRODUCTION
Posted on: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 04:25:35 +0000
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