ISMAEL MIRANDA La Clave Del Sabor Fania Records (JMLP-593) La clave del Sabor - Ismael Miranda salsa gordas pretty boy, Ismael Miranda stands out on his own on this recording where he brings us the best of New York & Puerto Rico. He had already made a name for himself fronting Larry Harlows early band, collaborating with the Fania All Stars & then striking out with his own band, La Revelacion. La Clave Del Sabor breaks the handsome crooner out of his papi culo rep giving us more of a hardedged interpretation not only in is singing style but in the music hes picked as highlighted in the two Tite Curet Alonso tunes, Galera Tres & Para Ismael Rivera. A dark yet profound number on the injustice of the justice system, Galera Tres speaks out against inmate abuse by the system & each other. A laid back, a caballo New York street feel, Galera Tres features a solo by tresero Nelson Gonzalez giving the number a jailhouse metropolis sound ala Los Cachimbos. Arranged by big band master Ray Santos, Miranda turns in his good looks for bloody fists in this ode to the thug life. New York is turned around to Puerto Rico in the tribute to Ismael Rivera as arranged by Luis Garcia. Listen to the harmonies of the trumpets, the wah-wah Cuevas bass that follows Mirandas rhythmic diction, & conga drumming of Milton Cardona. A great trumpet solo by Luis Perico Ortiz prefaces the tribute coro that pays homage to the master singer for opening the doors to Miranda. As the story goes, Harlow was looking for a vocalist for his fledging band & was auditioning Maelo for the lead spot. After the audition, Maelo called Harlow over to the side & told him that hed do better with the young kid because he was already a seasoned fox & would be looking to do his own thing. That was the break Miranda needed. Years l8ter, when Maelo fell on hard times, it was Miranda who then sought him out to lend a hand. A hair standing honor to Maelo whom Miranda calls an institution for singers, the king of bomba & plena, a devotee of the Black Christ & patriot of Puerto Rican culture. The opening track, Rebeca is a lively yet hardcore salsa dance number. The Garcia arrangement models that of the early Louie Ramirez days when the Fania All Stars arranger began using string motifs above the brass refining the gorda tropical sound. Dont forget me Miranda cries out to Rebeca in a voice that is crisp, clean, clear albeit a bit nasal yet always on point with pitch & improvisation. Yo No Me Vuelvo A Enamorar has a very island, lyrical feel to this Pedro L. Toledo arrangement. A pretty sound utilizing strings, synthesizer, french horns & a touch towards r&b & pop in the mambo, Miranda is compelling in his anguish to never love again because, as he sings it, love is a lie...as is this phrase. No Te Voy A Dejar Ir (by the same composer who told us hed never love again) really takes us retro into the machista world of salsa. About a guy who sticks to his girl like gum, the Luis Cruz arrangement is on cue for the dancer building up the frenzy with crescendos that spark the feet while moving the bod. Amigo Dejala continues the misogeny with male advise that counsels his friend to leave the no good woman. Javier Vazquez arrangement goes back to the late 60s Cachimbos style he was famous for writing for Maelo. The breaks, the harmonized trumpets & bones, & Nelsons tres all point to Maelos distinctive New York Puerto Rico style. Intoxicating in its narcotic affect. Johhny Ortiz Espiritu En Flor brings us closer to the native African derived musical genre autochthonous to Puerto Rico in a manner that is more in line with salsa & dancing than with rigorous research. Penned by the singer himself, Miranda shines in this Carlos Del Caprio bolero arrangement of Mi Decision. A beautiful trumpet solo by Ortiz accompanies the schmaltzy strings that compliment the singers decision to stop chasing after unrequited love. Ruben Blades wrote it & Louie Ramirez arranged this number about Mirandas quest for a cure for bad love. Aunque Me Duela has a definite New York stamp with funky bass lines, piercing brass & polyrhymic engine that takes you a caballo style to the clubs in New York that were happening @ the time. La Clave Del Sabor features the best of Puerto Rico & New Yorks street sound. A career defining production for El Niño Bonito that went from the streets of New York to finding his fortune on the island of Puerto Rico. Enjoy! Side A 1. Rebeca * 2. Galera Tres ** 3. Yo No Me Vuelvo A Enamorar *** 4. Para Ismael Rivera * Side B 1. No Te Voy A Dejar Ir **** 2. Amigo Dejala ***** 3. Espiritu En Flor * 4. Mi Decision ****** 5. Aunque Me Duela ******* Personnel: Luis Perico Ortiz: Trumpet Hector Bomberito Zarzuela: Trumpet Juancito Torres: Flugelhorn Larry Moser: Trumpet Barry Rogers: Trombone Reinaldo Jorge: Trombone Leopoldo Pineda: Trombone Oscar Hernandez: Acoustic Piano Salvador Cuevas: Electric Fender Bass Nelson Gonzalez: Tres Nicky Marrero: Timbales, Bongo, Cowbell Milton Cardona: Conga Johnny Pacheco: Guiro Ismael Quintana: Maracas Lead Vocals: Ismael Miranda Coro: Hector Casanova Ismael Quintana Ruben Blades Musical Arrangements by: Luis Garcia * Ray Santos ** Pedro L. Toledo *** Luis Cruz **** Javier Vazquez ***** Carlos Del Carpio ****** Louie Ramirez ******* Produced by: Ismael Miranda Executive Producer: Jerry Masucci Musical Director: Luis Garcia Album Cover & Liner Photo: Luis Armando a Ruiz Album Cover Design: Ron Levine Recording Engineers: Irv Greenbaum Pedro Henriques Recorded @: La Tierra Sound Studios, NYC Ochoa Recording Studios, San Juan, PR FANIA RECORDS, 1981 A FANIA RECORDS PRODUCTION
Posted on: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 22:49:07 +0000
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