from the LP Siembra, Fania Records, 1978
This was the biggest selling salsa album of all time when it was released, and it’s gone on to move tens of millions of units over the 30+ years since it dropped, perhaps the greatest release of Fania records’ entire discography; what Dark Side of the Moon is to North America & Europe, Siembra is to South America, Central America, the Caribbean, & parts of NYC…it’s that hallowed and revered. To the untrained anglo ear, this might sound like any old salsa record from the ‘70s---granted, with stellar production & arranging care of Willie Colón, but a large part of what makes this LP so relevant still today are the socially conscious themes found in many of Rubén Blades’ lyrics, speaking to the difficult lives of many Hispanic people in both New York and around the Spanish speaking world. It should come as no surprise that it’s the percussion that really hooks me in most Latin music, but the critically aware subject matter found here absolutely serves as the sweetened condensed milk to this slice of musical Tres Leches!
from the 7” single, Tapecar Records, 1971
Cutting smoothly between fierce jazz-funk, breezy bossa nova & full tilt samba-soul, this Brazilian burner by singer Rosa Maria keeps me coming back for more every time---I think the tambourine during the chorus seals the deal. This song is tight without feeling the least bit stuffy, familiar but somehow twisted & new, as refreshing as drinking a fucking caipirinha on the strip at Ipanema beach in Rio! Considering the size of their population, one has to imagine that crusty record stores across that vast nation must hold an infinite array of ‘70s fusion treats like this, so it’s no wonder that Brazil has continued to be a crate-diggers destination for decades. The title of this song loosely translates to “let’s not leave”, and I gotta tell you, if I was at some joint right now with a full live band jamming on shit like this, I wouldn’t leave until the sun came up.
from the LP Colombia!, Soundway Records, released: 2007, recorded: 197?
When I was first working in the Dominican Republic, mondongo stew already sat among my list of native dishes I knew I needed to try, and locals were literally forcing it on me almost immediately upon my arrival; it’s one of those meals where you could ask 10 different Dominicans for their recipe & wind up with 10 slightly different answers, but the common ingredients where I lived in the campo were: beef & chicken stocks, yucca, plantains, squash, onions, sofrito, bay leaves, tamarinds, pork tripe (and often the snouts, feet, & ears) that’s been soaked in sour orange juice, and many times also the tripe from guinea pheasants or cattle. The whole process of preparation looked absolutely repulsive in the early evening when things were first getting on the stove or fire---jump forward 6 – 8 hours later, after insane amounts of merengue dancing, rum drinking, pot smoking & a little blow, and upon returning to the said stove/fire, the savory aroma coming out of that caldron is, quite simply, far too amazing to deny. For real, if you like to explore different culture’s foods, and you find yourself en la Republica Dominicana, sancocho de modongo will never disappoint after a long night spent partying or staying in from the heavy rains.
from the LP Panama!, Soundway Records, released: 2006, recorded: 196?
Growing up in Florida, and particularly when I lived in the Dominican Republic, there were always several kinds of Latin-based music pumping out of apartments, cars, shops; when I was little, it all basically sounded the same to me, but as you grow up and fall more in love with music generally, one begins to notice that there are certain types of songs, or beats, that you gravitate towards---now, as a grown adult, I can distinguish exactly what it was that captured me about some tunes and not others: percussion. This track, by Panamanian scenesters Bush y sus Magnificos, has a fucking army of congas, bongos & djembes that hold the reigns, and they are so categorically funky that my ass moves without conscious thought, dig?!
from the LP Siembra, Fania Records, 1978
