Sunshine, Have a cigar

Hello, more Sunshine music from the hurricane belt, i hop via Haiti to Cuba and find the musical landscape considerably changed . No voodoo stuff or sweaty bongo stuff so popularised by cinema and tv and the stereo sellers of the sixties. Les Shleu Shleu build on what already was a great musical tradition, music, the caribbean seems full of it. Los Van Van, another jewel in the cuban music crown, as was Lazaro Ros, who died 2 years ago age 80, that makes him 70 when he recorded the album i present here, afro-cuban gold. Finally for David Byrne's label, Luaka Bop's selected a great collection, Dancing With the Enemy, a great mix of grooves that hits and catches the body in a way that elevates the mind, all made in Cuba during the '60s and '70s.

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Les Shleu Shleu - Tete Chauve
Los Van Van - Songo
Lazaro Ros & Mezcla - Cantos
VA - Cuba Classics, Dancing With The Enemy
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Les Shleu Shleu - Tete Chauve (1969 ^ 97mb)

Kompa direct, was the pop music of Haiti as it incorporated more effective American- and French-style pop structures spawned mini-jazz bands that became perhaps the first fully Haitian form of pure pop. It was on late 1965 when a group of students from Bas Peu-de-Shose an area in P-au-P created one of the most successful mini jazz band called Les Shleu-Shleu.The original members were Smith Jean Baptiste (drum),Garry Cassagnol (guitar),Hugues Djackaman (singer) and Edouard Crévecoeur (accordion). Les Shleu-Shleu recorded and released several great albums.

Accordions wheeze and bass guitars lope along in a two-step; clarinets and soprano saxes ebb & flow merrily on a tide of joie de vivre. There's good drumming and vocals, : they share a mood, invoking those tropical open-air clubs. On the surface it sounds like a dance, but one at the edge of desperation, clinging to wistful jazz melodies half-remembered, sudden tempo swings from upbeat to lethargic and back, desperate to forget your troubles and live in the moment. The title track of translates as "Bald Head in New York," probably a lot more common today than when this was recorded. Despite the ugly cover, Tete Chauve jaunts off swingingly, but then we really catch a fire with "Ceremonie Loa." Saxophonist Georges Loubert Chancy is the star, in my estimation.



01 - Tête Chauve a New York (3:48)
02 - Timidite (5:09)
03 - Mambo Instrumental (5:12)
04 - Cocoyer (5:22)
05 - Coeu Map Kimbe (4:33)
06 - Saint Valentin (5:47)
07 - Ceremonie Loa (6:44)
08 - Machan Yo (6:23)

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Los Van Van - Songo (89 99mb)

Los Van Van is a Cuban band led by bassist Juan Formell who foundecd the group back in 1969. They are considered to be one of Cuba's major timba acts, while Juan Formell has arguably become the most important figure in contemporary Cuban music. Juan Formell contributed countless innovations to the Cuban bass and clave, which paved the way for a radical reconceptualisation of rhythmic arrangements in Cuban music. The Van Van sound came to be known as songo (based on the songo rhythm), which laid the base for the later development of timba.

Using a charanga line-up as its base, Van Van added trombones and vocals. Their sound is a fusion of changui and son montuno with various types of music, including Afro-Cuban rhythms, rock.Los Van Van has consistently managed to adapt its style to the times, and remains, after 35 years, Cuba's most popular dance band. Along with pianist Cesar "Pupy" Pedroso, Juan Formell has written some of the most intriguing verses in popular dance music, including stories that run over several albums and with all types of social commentary. Both artists are undisputed masters of double-entendre in a musical culture where multiple meanings in lyrics are pervasive.



01 - La Titimania (5:17)
02 - Calla (5:37)
03 - Que Palo Es Ese (5:41)
04 - Sandunguera (Por Encima Del Nivel) (7:09)
05 - Muevete (Anda Ven Y Muevete) (7:30)
06 - Recaditos No (4:15)
07 - Ya Tu Campana No Suena (6:13)
08 - Y Que Tu Crees (5:35)

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Lazaro Ros & Mezcla - Cantos ( 95 ^ 91mb)

Ros was born in Havana, Cuba. His first major employ as a musician was in 1949, where he sang on Sunday afternoons for a radio station. After the 1959 revolution, he received international acclaim with the Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba (or National Folkloric Ensemble of Cuba) which allowed him to travel to France, Spain, and the United States. His music borrowed much from Africa, as he performed music of the of the Lucumí culture, of the Yoruba people from modern-day Nigeria, and of the Arará culture of the Dahomeyan people from modern-day Benin. Ros was largely self taught, and first learned to sing by learning the chants associated with Santería, a religion based in the Lucumí and Arará cultures. He also worked at the Cuban Institute of Ethnology and Folklore. He is recognized as a founder of Afro-Cuban rock He also recorded with a group called Olorun. In 2005, the year of his death, he was awarded the Orden Félix Varela First Degree, Cuba's highest cultural honour.



01 - Barasuayo (4:47)
02 - Ikiri Adda (4:39)
03 - Iya Maase Lobi Shango (5:03)
04 - Imbe Imbe (4:09)
05 - Akete Oba Oba (4:43)
06 - Adde Oya (4:27)
07 - Ibanlaye (4:26)
08 - Echubelekeo (4:11)

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VA - Cuba Classics 2: Dancing With The Enemy (91 * 99mb)

One of the first of Luaka Bop's many fine South American and Caribbean collections, Dancing With the Enemy features a fertile mix of modern, son-derived cuts made in Cuba during the '60s and '70s. The collection ranges from the classic acoustic-folk sound of Maria Teresa Vera's "Es No Es Na" and the vintage rumba stylings of Chapottin y Sus Estrellas' "La Guarapachanga," to the rock-inspired boogaloo and pop of Orquesta Reve. Also featuring choice mambo, descarga, and tipica sides, this 16-track disc will no doubt please students of modern Cuban music with credits that include Latin music innovators like Los Van Van, Celeste Mendoza, and Orquesta Riverside. Along with other important Luaka Bop compilations in the Brazil Classics series ( coming up later), Cuba Classics : Dancing with the Enemy is an essential record for fans of international music.



01 - Mi Rumba Echando Candela - Celeste Mendoza
02 - Eso No Es Na - Maria Teresa Vera
03 - Manzanillo - Orquesta Original De Manzanillo
04 - Yayabo - Orquesta Riverside
05 - La Guarapachanga - Chappottin Y Sus Estrellas
06 - Llegue Llegue / Guararey De Pastorita - Los Van Van
07 - No Me Llores - Conjunto Rumbavana
08 - Fifi Tete Y Popo - Orquesta Reve
09 - Fiesta Brava - Celeste Mendoza
10 - Saoco - Caridad Hierrezuelo Y Conjunto Caney
11 - Baile Usted Mi Son - Caridad Hierrezuelo Y Conjunto Caney
12 - Rumba Como Quiera - Los Zafiros
13 - Mis Compadres Puntean Son - Orquesta Pancho El Bravo
14 - Caminito De Zaza - El Jilguero De Cienfuegos
15 - Eres La Candela - Caridad Hierrezuelo/Caney
16 - Papa Ogun - Celeste Mendoza Y Los Papines

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All downloads are in * ogg-7 (224k) or ^ ogg-9(320k), artwork is included , if in need get the nifty ogg encoder/decoder here !