Spiteri - Spiteri (1973)

«An amazing band that recorded in London in the 1970’s and had the British all excited about Latino Rock. But of course, it was one of those items nobody could get hold of, despite asked for it in every store you ever went to.

Even in London where, by chance I came to live, nobody had heard of them. I never got the chance to hear the record either in Venezuela where most people get rid of their vinyls as soon as the cd player appeared (a Venezuelan tendency: new always means better!!), or in the country in which it was recorded. And then, a decade and a half later, I open the usual padded envelope holding a CD to review and it that word that had escpaed my lips so often but I'd never seen in print: Spiteri. At first I thought I'd misread it, but there it was, the very same band that has been evading me all this time, that magical cd, recorded in London, by two Venezuelan brothers (Charlie and Jorge). This album, originally recorded in 1973, released in Venezuela but never in England, has now been re-released by one of the most exciting Latin Music labels today: Vampisoul.

It would be too good to be true that this album lived up to the legend, but the bare truth is that it does. It's a beautiful combination of psychedelic rock with Venezuelan folk music, a sound so fresh, so unique, so vibrant, that it is pure Spanglish bliss in a totally insane way that could only have been produced in the 1970s. It was way ahead of its time in terms of musical vision, a true fusion album when only very few musicians were daring to attempt it. It combines Afro-Venezuelan rhythmns with English melodies in a daring way, enhanced by a musical understanding and skill into something truly innovative and rare.

According to the CD booklet Spiteri was Britain's answer to Santana. Unfortunately, while Santana's appearance at Woodstock launched his career into the maintream music market, Spiteri never played at Glastonbury. They also only ever recorded one album. After listening to it, it leaves you wondering what would have happened if they had been given the exposure or stayed together as a band. One of those things we'll never know. And so this one gem makes its mark in history as a collectors' 'must have' and an album that could have been.... but never was. Still, never too late to enjoy it!» (Candelalive)

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Monna Bell y Aldemaro Romero - La Onda Nueva en Mexico (1970)

«For those unaware of the greatness of Venezuelan conductor Aldemaro Romero, we could compare him with the better known Esquivel. Romero and Esquivel had more than one thing in common. In addition to being piano virtuosos with a futuristic sense for popular music revitalized with vocal arrangements and original instrumentation, they each experimented in the recording studio and maintained a mutual admiration and friendship. Probably the rarest album from Aldemaro Romero is this homage to traditional and popular Mexican songs, with the Pop singer Monna Bell on vocals. The musicians (well-skilled Jazz players from Mexico) were free to bring in any idea to the studio and to improvise during the recordings. The result was an explosion of tonalities that, in spite of being essentially popular traditions, revealed something exceedingly unique cosmopolitan and modern. La Onda Nueva en Mexico has remained a cult record among those searching for rare grooves because of its completely unique concept of combining traditional Mexican music arranged by a cosmopolitan Venezuelan influenced by Bossa Nova, sung by a Chilean pop singer and orchestrated by Mexican jazz musicians, all on one record! Vampisoul. 2007.» (Amazon)

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Huáscar Barradas - Trío Acústico Venezolano (2001)

«“Si hay algo especial en Venezuela es que en cualquier reunión aparece un cuatro o una guitarra, alguna tía con talento musical comienza a cantar, las primas le hacen coro, el amigo del amigo toca las maracas, se improvisa, se cuentan anécdotas, chistes, y se forma un alboroto hasta que “el cuerpo aguante”… De este ambiente festivo y alegre está impregnado el disco Trío Acústico Venezolano. Nuestra fiesta es particularmente especial, ya que nos visitan nada más y nada menos que Neguito, Cecilia, Ricardo, Rafael y Víctor Hugo, además de Mayren y Maryann, las talentosas niñas de nuestro Agustín. Ésta no es una fiesta cualquiera, sino una ¡tremenda fiesta!» (Huáscar Barradas, from the artist’s official site)

«Flutist Huáscar Barradas takes a decidedly spiritual tack to his profession. The Venezuelan virtuoso sees jazz as liberation, and music in general as an art that teaches children values beyond consumerism. For him improvisation is an opportunity to break free of standard musical systems and structures. Barradas knows well the dynamics of freedom and constraint. He began formal training at age nine, and at 17 decided to further his studies and move from his native Maracaibo to New York. There he attended the Brooklyn Conservatory. It was the beginning of a versatile career for a musician who easily performs in virtually any musical stream. Barradas is equally comfortable playing symphonic music, chamber music, contemporary, folk, flamenco, and jazz. He looks at the similarities of these forms and rarely expounds on their differences. He has performed extensively in Europe and the Americas, garnering acclaim from small enclaves of aficionados enamored with his sound, style, and spirit for the past two decades.» (Miami New Times)

Read also: Huascar Barradas – The Magical Flautist

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Putumayo Presents Carnival (2001)

«Carnival, the ecstatic release of carnal desire in the days leading up to Lent, has a long history. With its roots firmly buried in the Dionysian festivities of ancient Greece, the celebration was appropriated by the Romans for their Bacchanalian homage and then adapted by Roman Catholics to fit pre-Ash Wednesday festivities. Celebrated by Catholics and Bacchanalians alike, contemporary carnival celebrations are especially fervent among the African Diaspora in the Caribbean and the Americas. And from the parading samba schools in Rio to the calypso tents on Trinidad, the art form most identified with carnival is that of music. On Putumayo's Carnival, ten festive tunes, performed in the spirit of carnival, are presented. Among the featured artists are New Orleans' own Eddie Bo building slide trombone riffs on top of shuffling beats, Colombian salsa group Fruko y sus Tesos singing about a particular kind of foppish carnival reveler, and Rio's distinguished sambistsa Martinho da Vila beautifully performing the carnival classic "Canta Canta, Minha Gente." Though some of the CD's cuts have more to do with festivals in general than with carnival in particular — such as Big Davy's Crop Over celebration song — all the songs contribute to the ebullient atmosphere of the compilation. If you're looking for field recordings of actual carnival celebrations then this CD is not for you. On the other hand, if you're looking for contemporary studio recorded songs that reference carnival either directly or indirectly, then Putumayo's Carnival should probably find its way onto your stereo.» (AMG)

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Soledad Bravo - Paloma Negra (2001)

«Spain-born and Venezuela-raised Soledad Bravo has been one of the leaders of the nueva cancion (“new song”) movement that swept through Latin America in the '70s and '80s. Although equally proficient at singing traditional and popular songs, Bravo made her greatest impact as a protest singer. According to Billboard, “her voice is an exceptional instrument”. The Diario, a newspaper in Madrid, claims “her voice captivates you, the range is so wide and its strength is amazing”.» (AMG, read more)

«Listening to this collection of 13 south-american standards, you'll immediately find out that Soledad Bravo is one of the best female singers in the Central and South American territory. Her fresh and intense vocal timbre on these recordings is immeasurably moving. Soledad Bravo is the only Latin singer able to go from a style to an other, epitomizing the fusion of beautiful poetry and unique singing in an extraordinarily varied programme of canciones latino-americana (from argentinian tango to mexican bolero, from ranchera to venezuelan folklore...). Intense emotions and heavy thrills from these classical refrains that sound even better with the lights off (Silvio Rodriguez's “La Maza”, or Carlos Jobim's “Eu sei que vou te amar” are pure gems!). Truly exceptional! And let's add a superlative that should only be used with great forethought and care: Essential!» (Calabash Music: click for more)

«Soledad Bravo responde auténticamente al concepto de intérprete. Más que cantar cada una de sus canciones – que también lo hace, con voz caprina, poderosa y brillante – , las interpreta, las actúa, las vive, las hace suyas. Y en un mismo disco, dedicado a sonoridades americanas, ofrece versiones personales de temas de toda la vida, respaldada casi apenas por las cuerdas de la guitarra. Apuesta así por el minimalismo, por la vieja fórmula de peñas y canturreos, y sortea esa falta de aderezo con calidad y sale entera. Entrega – entre otros ejemplares- un pasillo hermoso (el clásico “Sombras” de Carlos Brito), una ranchera desgañitada (“Paloma negra”) y un delicado medley dedicado a la tropicalia romántica (“Eu sei que eu vou te amar/a noite de nos dos”).» (Emol)

«Depuis la fin des années 60, la carrière de Soledad Bravo est d'une exceptionnelle richesse. Chanteuse autodidacte devenue à 18 ans une des icônes de la chanson engagée au Venezuela, Soledad Bravo ne s'est pourtant jamais laissé enfermer dans un registre musical, ce qu’elle aurait ressenti comme une entrave insupportable à sa passion des beaux textes. Enflammée, tendre ou mélancolique, la voix de Soledad Bravo incarne depuis trente ans le vaste répertoire de la chanson populaire latino-américaine. Elle a interprété ou adapté les plus grands auteurs d'expression espagnole du xxe siècle (Garcia Lorca, Rafael Alberti, Violeta Parra, Carlos Puebla, Silvio Rodrígues…) comme ceux du Brésil (Chico Buarque, Tom Jobim, De Moraes) et de France (Barbara). En près de 30 albums, Soledad a tout exploré: la contestation, la frénésie festive de la salsa et presque tous les folklores du nouveau continent. Accompagnée d'une simple guitare ou d'un orchestre afro-caribéen, sa voix se confond désormais avec celle du chant latino-américain.
Soledad Bravo revient en France après des années d'absence avec un nouvel album, Paloma negra, dédié à la mémoire de Barbara. Ce disque est en fait la réunion de 13 titres inédits enregistrés en 1979, puis entre 1995 et 2000 (sur la genèse de l’album, lire notre entretien). L'unité de cette collection de chansons est assurée par le timbre magistral de Soledad, le dépouillement des arrangements réalisés par Antonio Sánchez et la guitare de Dioni Velásquez, fidèle accompagnateur de la chanteuse. Le résultat est au-delà de toute critique. Ranchera, tangos, ou boleros, ces chansons populaires sont d'une beauté déchirante. Elles sont rendues avec une humilité et une urgence qui ne versent jamais dans le professionnalisme compassé de certaines divas de la chanson. Soledad est une interprète magnifique, d'une humanité sincère. Elle puise en elle le sang des émotions pures pour donner aux mots une chair sonore et éphémère. La vérité artistique, cette illusion vitale, est à ce prix.» (Chronicart)

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