Gran Combo Boogaloo - for Kerri

This morning's musical biscuit is none other than El Gran Combo, a Puerto Rican institution. Founded in 1962 by Rafael Ithier, a member of Cortijo y Su Combo, they have been tearing the roof all over the world for over 4 decades (!). They have gone through many stages and incarnations, integrating many influences into the mashup that is SALSA; Boogaloo, swing, flamenco, tango, boleros, jazz; they've done it all.

These two greatest hits are good representation of "La Universidad de la Salsa" at their best.

If you already know their stuff and want to hear more, go HERE!!!

EL GRAN COMBO DE PUERTO RICO - 15 Grandes Exitos

1 ACANGANA
2 ANTES QUE TU
3 DOS COPLAS Y UN OLE
4 EL EMBUSTERO
5 EL JALA JALA
6 EL SWING
7 ESOS HOJITOS NEGROS
8 FALSARIA
9 GRAN COMBO BOOGALOO
10 LA VIEJA VOLADORA
11 MILONGA DEL 900
12 MILONGA SENTIMENTAL
13 OJITOS CHINOS
14 SERRANA
15 VAS BIEN

EL GRAN COMBO DE PUERTO RICO - 16 Clasicos

1 A LA REINA
2 ASI SON
3 CAJA DE SORPRESAS
4 CON ESO
5 EL LICOR DE TU BOQUITA
6 GOTAS DE LLUVIA
7 HOJAS BLANCAS
8 LA LOMA DEL TAMARINDO
9 LAMENTO JIBARO
10 NO ME OLVIDES MULATA
11 RESIGNACION
12 SE ME FUE
13 SERRANA
14 SI ME MUERO
15 TE REGALO EL CORAZON
16 TIMBALERO


70's: Pachito Eche - listen to the horn section break!!


80's: El Timbalero - check out the cape action in the middle!


Gran Combo Boogaloo:


1965: Jala Jala Handjive by the pool

Quaye

This is a CD that my friend and colleague Victoria lent me by a Finley Quaye. I had read good things about him and had heard that he was Tricky's Uncle (although he was 24 when he recorded this) so I was curious. Eccentric pot-influenced stylee, heavy on the Uroy "appropriations", but with a different mood. Very mellow sometimes, sometimes more rocking, and a really good bassline= very nice. Check it. (.. before you wreck it .. or something) ... A couplea vids from this record below the cut ..

FINLEY QUAYE PT 1

FINLEY QUAYE PT 2

1.01		Ultra Stimulation (3:52)
1.02		It's Great When We're Together (3:39)
1.03		Sunday Shining (3:42)
1.04		Even After All (3:54)
1.05		Ride On And Turn The People On (3:47)
1.06		The Way Of The Explosive (4:44)
1.08		Supreme I Preme (4:59)
1.09		Sweet And Loving Man (3:21)
1.11		Falling (3:16)
1.12		I Need A Lover (4:04)
1.13		Maverick A Strike (4:59)
2.01		It's Great When We're Together (Fun Lovin' Criminals Re-mix) (3:45)
2.02		Sunday Best (3:31)
2.03		It's Great When We're Together (Live) (3:50)
2.04		Even After All (Live) (3:59)
2.05		Can't Be Left Alone (7:32)
2.06		Morning Practice (4:09)

Even After All:



Suday Shining:

Bush

As I mentioned in the Vic Chesnutt post, I have been re-listening to some albums that I hadn't heard in more than a decade. Some have aged well and some ... not.
Kate Bush's "The Dreaming" has aged surprisingly well, while this video... hasn't. Harlequins, minotaurs and dunces - oh my!! Can you say "Low Budget"?:

For this one they actually had a real set, a bunch of dust and a big ol' fan:





And here, the video for the title track. She can do the funky chicken like it's nobody's business! Eat your heart out, JLo!!

Anyway, musically speaking, she was way ahead of her time. This was her first self-produced work. If Kate were more business savvy she could make a cheesy Broadway musical out of this and rake in the bucks, a la Yoko Ono, Bob Dylan, Mel Brooks etc. God bless her soul that she isn't.

The Dreaming 1982

1. Sat In Your Lap
2. There Goes A Tenner
3. Pull Out The Pin
4. Suspended In Gaffa
5. Leave It Open
6. The Dreaming
7. Night Of The Swallow
8. All The Love
9. Houdini
10. Get Out Of My House

Slight Return

Back from a long awaited and long overdue hiatus, aka vacation.


To celebrate, a reup requested by a Mr "Tobi" of Los Lobos live and acoustic in 2005. So here you go, bud. I re-equalized it from the original FLAC files, so if you downloaded this from here before, I do believe this sounds better.
Actually as part of my vacation I was just in Chiquinquirá, mentioned on the 6th track here, "El Cuchipe", which is a traditional Colombian/andean song:

"De Chichinquirá yo vengo de pagar una promesa / Ahorita que estamos solitos dame un besito Teresa"

It's a small town in the "departamento" of Cundinamarca. The Virgin of Chichinquira is the patron virgin of Colombia, and many people still to this day make long pilgrimages to, like the song says, pay off a promise.

Los Lobos
McNear's Mystic Theatre
Petaluma, CA
March 2, 2005
(acoustic show)

LOBOS.part1

01 introduction by John Skeels 01:32
02 Canto Veracruz 02:50
03 Colas 02:54
04 La Paloma 03:42
05 La Pistola y El Corazَón 04:10
06 El Cuchipe 03:41
07 Saint Behind the Glass 03:40
08 Los Ojos De Pancha 03:15
09 Porro Por Pedrito 04:21
10 Kiko and the Lavender Moonó 04:23
11 Arizona Skies 01:47


LOBOS.part2

12 Borinquen Patria Mia 05:19
13 Llorona 03:44
14 Sabor a Mí 04:20
15 La Feria De Las Flores 03:24
16 Gema 05:19
17 Que Nadie Sepa Mi Sufrir 03:47
18 Cielito Lindo (Huasteco) 03:42
19 Wreck of the Carlos Rey 05:47
20 Ay Te Dejo en San Antonio 02:45
21 How Much Can I Do? 03:39
22 Teresa 06:04
23 Guantanamera 06:05
24 --encore break-- 04:02
25 Our Last Night 03:15
26 Corazَón 03:33
27 Guajira 04:34

photo by Adam Kaufman