Cuarteto Patria & Manu Dibango - Cubafrica (1998)

«Founded by vocalist and maracas player Maria Emilia Garcia, guitarist Pancho Cobas and the group's first director, Francisco Coba La in 1939, Cuarteto Patria achieved international success after guitarist/tres player and lead vocalist Eliades Ochoa assumed leadership in 1978. Under the guidance of Santiago, Chile-born Eliades Ochoa, the group expanded its early bolero and criolla repertoire to include a dance-inspiring mix of son montuno, guaracha and guajira.

Although they released no albums prior to Ochoa's arrival, Cuarteto Patria has released four memorable albums since – A Una Coquesta in 1993, Se Salto Un Leon in 1995 and Cubafrica, recorded with Cameroon-born saxophonist Manu Dibango, in 1998. Released in September 2000, Tribute To The Cuarteto Patria celebrated the band's 60th anniversary.

Cuarteto Patria was featured on Ochoa's solo albums, including his masterpiece, Sublime Illusion, a Grammy nominee in the category of "Best traditional tropical and Latin performance of 1999."» (Craig Harris, AMG)

«This CD opens with a veritable chestnut, the Mexican "Cielito Lindo," played by an African saxophonist and a Cuban son ensemble. The vocals are a bit hokey, yet it works. The idea to get together and record disparate material was born at a gig in France in 1996, and the studio was arranged tout de suite. Dibango plays with restraint, sinuously weaving his warm tones in, under, around and over the by-now telepathically tuned-in-to-each-other players of Cuarteto Patria. On a few tracks, he mostly lays out; on others, his guitarist, Jerry Malekani, joins the proceedings, and the two of them bring in a more African feeling. A very enjoyable session, though not as essential or as ultimately satisfying as separate releases by the participants.» (Janet Rosen, AMG)

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