Abuela Coca - 1998 - Despues Te Explico...

01. Que pasa
02. Afoxe
03. Sexy Girl
04. Roberto
05. Toda menina Baiana
06. Chicos ricos
07. San Pedro
08. Himno de mi corazón
09. Pulgoso
10. Asesinos son
11. Che bo!
12. Coco claro
13. La ley

¡Aquí!

Abuela Coca - 1996 - La Abuela Coca

Abuela Coca, grupo musical uruguayo de rock latino iniciado en 1992 por Alfredo Gianotti, el "Chole", (voz y guitarra) junto a los músicos Cacho Rodríguez (percusión), Javier Bonga (saxo) y Omar Santiago (bajo). Se caracteriza por un estilo musical que fusiona rock, reggae, rap y ritmos afro-latinos, entre otros.

1- Cotorra
2- Noche
3- Lo que falta
4- Sumcom II
5- Salvador
6- Soulca
7- Resbalón
8- Te digo baby
9- Sin palabras
10-Vagos
11-Nega

¡Aquí!

Veloso, Caetano - 1968 - Caetano Veloso

The first Caetano Veloso solo album was recorded in 1967. Soon after the III FMPB, where Veloso took fourth place with "Alegria, Alegria," he and his group (which would soon constitute the Tropicalia movement) were news, dividing opinions concerning the group's interest in fusing Brazilian music with international pop culture, lysergic psychedelia, generalized irreverence, and whatever crossed their minds. The arrangements were done by three classically trained composers, fully committed to the most adventurous experiments in modern music: Júlio Medaglia, Damiano Cozella, and Sandino Hohagen. Veloso's concept was that the album should surpass the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's, being also very Brazilian and, at the same time, international. The record has immortal classics, such as "Clarice," "Soy Loco por Tí, América" (Gilberto Gil/Capinam), composed under the effect of the recent death of Che Guevara, "Superbacana," "Tropicália," and "Alegria, Alegria." The rest of the album has had less success but consists of excellent tracks that remain modern to this day. "Tropicália," the title track, was an unnamed song when its recording began. By suggestion of the then photographer Luís Carlos Barreto, Veloso used the same name of an installation by the visual artist Hélio Oiticica, which was composed by a labyrinth made with plants and birds and shown on a television set. The suggestion was accepted, and the Tropicalia was born.

		1		Tropicália	Veloso	3:39
		2		Clarice	Capinam, Veloso	5:28
		3		No Dia Em Que Eu Vim-me Embora	Gil, Veloso	2:27
		4		Alegria, Alegria	Veloso	2:50
		5		Onde Andarás	Gullar, Veloso	1:57
		6		Anunciação	Duarte, Veloso	2:21
		7		Superbacana	Veloso	1:27
		8		Paisagem Util	Veloso	2:39
		9		Clara	Veloso	1:45
		10		Soy Loco por Tí, América	Capinam, Gil	3:44
		11		Ave Maria	Schubert	2:00
		12		Eles	Gil, Veloso	4:37

¡Aquí!

Blades, Ruben

Rubén Blades is one of the most successful vocalists in the history of Panamanian music. A former member of bands led by Ray Barretto and Willie Colón, Blades has continued to influence salsa music with his highly literate, politically tinged lyrics and his modern-minded arrangements, which substitute the usual horn and Latin percussion sections with synthesizers and drum sets. Often referred to as "the Latin Bruce Springsteen," Blades provided a musical voice for the middle class of Central America. Raised in a middle-class neighborhood in Panama City, Blades inherited his musical talents from his parents. His mother, Anoland, who emigrated from Cuba, played piano and sang in Spanish. His father, Ruben Sr., a police detective, played bongos.

Inspired by the doo wop singing of Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, Blades began singing North American pop and rock songs in his early teens. In 1963, he became the lead singer of a band, the Saints, formed by his older brother, Luis. The political upheaval in Panama during the mid-'60s had a profound effect as Blades became increasingly committed to his own roots, refusing to sing in any language but his native Spanish.

While studying law at the University of Panama, Blades continued to be involved with his music, singing with Conjunto Latino and Los Salvajes del Ritmo. In 1968, an album he recorded with Bush and the Magnificos reached Joe Cuba's producer in New York. Invited to join Cuba's band, he declined in order to complete college. When the Panamanian government closed the university, he made his first trip to the United States. While in the U.S., Blades recorded an album, From Panama to New York, with Pete Rodriguez. Shortly after the album's release, the University of Panama was reopened and Blades returned to complete his undergraduate studies. Although he accepted a position as a lawyer for the Bank of Panama, following his graduation, he returned to the U.S., to visit his parents, who had emigrated to Miami, in 1974.

While in the United States, Blades traveled to New York and took a job in the mailroom of the Latin-oriented Fania record label. A year later, he replaced Tito Allen as featured vocalist in Ray Barretto's band, auditioning in Fania's mailroom. When Barretto left to form a Latin fusion group, Blades took over as bandleader and renamed the group Guarare. In 1975, Blades composed and sang lead on Barretto's recording "Canto Abacua," featured on the album Barretto. As a result, Blades was named Composer of the Year by Latin New York magazine. Blades had also been playing with Willie Colón's band, and he remained with Colón for six years. Their collaboration reached its apex with the three-million-copy-selling album Siembra, which included the single "Pedro Navaja," the biggest selling single in salsa history. Blades' politically oriented lyrics were not universally accepted. In 1980, his song "Tiburon," which spoke out against superpower intervention in the Caribbean, was banned from radio airplay in Miami.

Forming his own band, Los Seis del Solar, in 1982, Blades began to perform an exciting fusion of Latin, rock, reggae, and Caribbean music. Their debut album, Buscando América, was released in 1983. A year later, Blades enrolled in the graduate school at Harvard University, eventually receiving a master's degree in international law.

Since the early '80s, Blades has balanced his musical career with acting and writing songs for such films as The Last Fight, Crossover Dreams, Critical Condition, Fatal Beauty, The Milagro Beanfield War, Dead Man Out, Disorganized Crime, The Lemon Sisters, The Two Jakes, Predator 2, One Man's War, The Josephine Baker Story, Crazy From the Heart, Color of Night, A Million to Juan, Scorpion Spring, and The Devil's Own. Blades shared the title role, with Marc Anthony, in Paul Simon's Broadway musical The Capeman.

Blades, who lives in California with his actress wife Lisa Lebenzon, has remained active with politics. The founder of a new political party in Panama, he ran for president of Panama in 1994, coming in second in the election. While much of Blades' repertoire is in the Spanish language, he recorded an English-language album, Nothing But the Truth, featuring songs by Lou Reed, Elvis Costello, and Sting, in 1988.

The 1990s were relatively busy ones for Blades musically, and he released several albums, including Ruben Blades y Son del Solar...Live! (1990), Caminando (1991), Amor y Control (1994), La Rosa de los Vientos (1996), and Tiempos (1999) before stepping back a bit in the first decade of the 21st century, releasing Mundo in 2002, the Live! In Concert DVD in 2006, and De Panama a Nueva York in 2008.

Colon/Blades - 1978 - Siembra

Colon, Willie

Trombone player, composer, and bandleader Willie Colón is one of the pioneers of Latin American music. Despite initial criticism, Colón's album El Malo has become known as one of the first albums to feature the "New York Sound" that sparked a renewed interest in Latin music during the 1970s. Colón has been instrumental in the careers of such Latin musicians as Rubén Blades, who first sang with Colón's band in 1975, and Celia Cruz, for whom Colón has produced such albums as Only They Could Have Done This Album in 1977 and the highly successful duet album Celia & Willie in 1981. Colón has also produced albums for Ismael Miranda, Sophy, Soledad Bravo, and the late Hector Lavoe, who sang with his band in the early '70s. Inspired by the music of various cultures, Colón has recorded with such musicians as Puerto Rican cuatro player Yomo Toro and David Byrne. Colón's composition "Che Che Cole," adapted from a Ghanaian children's song, was used by Ntozake Shange in the musical play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf. In addition to 11 Grammy nominations and one Grammy award, Colón has received a CHUBB fellowship from Yale University, the most prestigious award given by the Ivy League school. Colón ran for the United States Congress, representing New York's 17th Congressional District, in 1992.

Starting to play the trumpet at the age of 12, Colón switched to the trombone two years later. Making his recording debut in 1967, for Al Santiago's Futura label, Colón became a victim of misfortune when the label folded. Colón was much more successful when he signed with Johnny Pacheco's Fania label. When his vocalist failed to make Colón's first session for the label, Pacheco suggested Hector Lavoe as a replacement. The collaboration proved fruitful when two singles from Colón's first two albums (El Malo, Guisando) -- "Jazzy" and "I Wish I Had a Watermelon" -- became hits. Lavoe remained a vital member of Colón's band until the mid-'70s when an increased drug addiction caused him to miss or show up late for several gigs. Although their partnership formally ended in 1975, Colón and Lavoe continued to work together. Lavoe's last album, Strikes Back, released in 1987, was produced by Colón.

In 1975, Colón balanced his schedule as director of the Latin Jazz All Stars with studies in music theory, composition, and orchestration. His increased knowledge paid off quickly. In 1978, Colón was named Musician, Producer, and Trombone Player of the Year in a readers poll conducted by Latin New York. Three years later, he received an award as Musician of the Year and his album Fantasmas was named Album of the Year. Colón continued to garner acclaim when his album Canciones del Solar de los Aburridos received a Grammy award in 1982.

Although they met backstage before a concert in Panama in 1969, Colón and Blades didn't begin collaborating until five years later. While working on the album The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, Colón asked Blades to sing on the Blades-penned tune "El Cazanguero," which reflected on Blades' experiences as a law student working in a Panamanian prison. The session was so satisfying that Blades became a full-time member of Colón's band following the departure of Lavoe. Their 1978 album Siembra became the top-selling album in Fania's catalog. Despite their success, Blades severely quarreled with label president Jerry Mascucci over money. Although Colón recorded two solo albums -- El Baquine de Angelitos Negros in 1977 and Solo in 1979 -- and Blades recorded a solo album, Maestra Vida, in 1980, their solo work failed to match the commercial success of their joint efforts.

In 1981, the two musicians resumed their partnership, with Blades playing coro on Colón's solo album Fantasmas. The following year, they collaborated on the Grammy-winning album Canciones del Solar de los Aburridos, which yielded the hits singles "Tiburon," "Ligia Elena," and "Te Estan Buscando." Their partnership again proved short-lived as Colón and Blades split up after working on the film The Last Fight. The split was far from amiable and the two musicians continued to feud until reuniting for a concert at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan in March 1992. Despite collaborating on the album Tras la Tormenta in 1995, Colón and Blades recorded their parts separately. Following a reunion concert at the Hollywood Bowl in 1997, Colón and Blades performed a series of concerts together.

In the late '80s, Colón formed a new band, Legal Alien, with younger musicians. Signing with Sony, Colón and the band recorded Color Americano in 1990 and Honra y Cultura in 1991. Two years later, Colón recorded Hecho en Puerto Rico with an all-star band featuring ex-members of the Fania All-Stars, Papo Lucca and Bobby Valentin. Since leaving Sony over a lack of promotional support, Colón continued to remain active, filling stadiums and concerts halls throughout Latin America and releasing new material including Experiencia in 2004, followed by The Player three years later and El Malo, Vol. 2: Prisioneros del Mambo in 2008.

Colon/Blades - 1978 - Siembra

Colon & Blades - 1978 - Siembra

The high point of Willie Colón's ongoing collaboration with Rubén Blades (and close to a career peak for both artists), Siembra exploded on the salsa scene in 1978 and has never been forgotten by fans. Beginning with a minute of playfully deceptive quasi-disco arrangements, Colón and his band slip into a devastating salsa groove for the opener, "Plástico," on which Blades first criticizes America's throwaway society and then brings all of Latin America together with a call to unity. Blades wrote all but one of the songs on Siembra, and shines on all of them; his extended high-tenor salsa scatting lifts "Buscando Guayaba," his tender side comes across on the love song "Dime," and he outlines a devastating life-in-el-Barrio exposé with "Pedro Navaja" (Peter the Knife). For the latter, Colón and Luis Ortiz's tight arrangement adds immeasurably to the song, using street noise and sirens, breaking into an ironic "I like to live in America!," and punching the statement home with a four-trombone line. Reflecting the tough times but optimistic attitude of el Barrio during the late '70s, Siembra joined Cosa Nuestra as one of Willie Colón's career landmarks.

		1		Plastico	Blades	6:41
		2		Buscando Guayaba	Blades	5:47
		3		Pedro Navaja	Blades	7:25
		4		Maria Lionza	Blades	5:31
		5		Ojos	Ortiz	4:54
		6		Dime	Blades	7:02
		7		Siembra	Blades	5:25

¡Aquí!

Fabulosos Cadillacs

The internationally renowned and versatile Argentine band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs have been thrilling audiences with their eclectic mixture of rock, rap, ska, reggae, and traditional South American sounds for over ten years. The nine piece band began in 1985 and chose the name Los Fabulosos Cadillacs only because they thought it sounded good. Then as with now, the band is run democratically and there is no one leader; they play whatever style most appeals to them at the moment and each of their ten albums is different from the last. In 1995, they recorded the album Rey Azucar for S.D.I./Sony and featured guest appearances from Debbie Harry and from Mick Jones, the ex-guitarist from the Clash. According to the band members, working with Jones was a dream come true. One of their biggest commercial hits in South America is "Matador" which, with it's uptempo samba-reggae inspired beat, appeared as a bonus track on their 1995 greatest hits album Vasos Vacíos. The Cadillacs have extensively toured Latin America and in 1995, appeared in Anaheim, CA, where they knocked 'em dead with their lively performance. Though the band was in a slump during the early '90s, their greatest hits album revitalized their career. Marcha del Golazo Solitario followed in 1999 and two live albums, Hola and Chau, were issued in early 2001. The band officially called in quits a year later in 2002 only to reunite following the death of percussionist Gerado Toto Rotblat in 2008, releasing a new album, Luz del Ritmo, that same year.

2001 - Hola

Fabulosos Cadillacs - 2001 - Hola

Part of a two-CD set (alongside Chau) recorded in concert in Argentina, Hola, the first live album from los Fabulosos Cadillacs, stakes the band's claim as one of the finest live acts anywhere. For one thing, the set list is superbly chosen. Rather than relying on the most recent album the band was touring to support (La Marcha de Golazo Solitario), the set list reaches all the way back to their first album, Bares y Fondas, and picks many classic tracks from all the albums in between (although it's hard to tell how much of this is due to the fact that La Marcha de Golazo Solitario is a softer, more introspective album that may not translate well on-stage). Some tracks already were tailor-made for a live audience and are predictably superlative (such as "El Satanico Dr. Cadillac" and "Mal Bicho"), but others reveal added power in concert. "Calaveras y Diablitos," already first-rate, becomes downright sublime when accompanied by an audience, while "Yo Quiero Morirme Aca," which sounded thin and tentative in its original studio version, becomes muscular and fierce on-stage. It's not quite the same as actually being there (and it's inconceivable to get Hola without its companion piece, Chau), but Hola is one of los Fabulosos Cadillacs' most vital recordings.

		1		Cadillacs	Capello, Cianciarulo	1:24
		2		Demasiada Presion	Capello	3:41
		3		El Aguijon	Capello	3:22
		4		El Genio del Dub	Capello, Cianciarulo ...	4:11
Composed by: Capello, Cianciarulo, Ricciardi, Rotman
		5		Calaveras y Diablitos	Cianciarulo	3:56
		6		Yo Quiero Morirme Aca	Capello	1:57
		7		Carmela	Ricciardi	3:41
		8		Roble	Capello	3:29
		9		El Crucero del Amor	Cianciarulo, Rotman	5:37
		10		La Vida	Cianciarulo	3:14
		11		La Marcha del Golazo Solitario	Cianciarulo, Fisher, Kibby ...	5:33
Composed by: Cianciarulo, Fisher, Kibby, Moore
		12		Mal Bicho	Cianciarulo	5:05
		13		El Satanico Dr. Cadillac	Capello	3:55
		14		Yo No Me Sentaria en Tu Mesa	Capello, Pardo, Rotman	3:46

¡Aquí!