Abstract Index Playlist - Sept 26/07

Grupo Folklorico Y Experimental Nuevoyorquino is quite the mouthful of a name, but the two albums they produced in the mid 70s represent a startling diversity of Latin rhythms, all played by folks who had something to prove. Loosely centered around the Gonzalez brothers Jerry (conga) and Andy (bass), and veteran timbalero Manny Oquendo this group of radical traditionalists sought to go back to the roots of the rhythms then-newly minted "salsa" with a fresh, daring perspective. The caliber of playing is incredibly high on both Grupo releases, with some players like veteran trumpeter Chocolate Armenteros seeming to twist time with his oblique yet powerful phrasing. "Ao Meu Lugar Voltar" from their second album in 1976 sees them take a run at samba for the first time. This sort of Cuba/Puerto Rico/Brazil crossover was not considered cool at all in some quarters due to national, cultural and linguistic rivalries - the great Brazilian keyboardist Joao Donato faced similar criticism for experimenting with Cuban rhythms. It's a strange tune with cascading marimbas and old school horn lines in the background giving it a bit of a dubby feel in the first half until the whiplash tempo change kicks in and powers the song to its funky finale. The ensemble coalesced further into Libre, led by Oquendo and still active today pumping out some (dare I say) authentic 50s bop powering unflashy but deep dance grooves.

I always figured there would never be an opportunity to see this ensemble live, however, I read that they reunited for a show very recently...


8.6 - supersilent (rune gramofon)
awakening - vancouver chinese music ensemble (vcme)
romeo heart (slight return) - sandro perri (constellation)
old times roll, new times goal - wadada leo smith, gunter baby sommer (intakt)
nta dima - habib koite (cumbancha)
ao meu lugar voltar - grupo folklorico & experimental nuevoyorquino (salsoul)
jammin with joey - joey pastrana (fania)
el nego esta cocinado - pedrito calvo (egrem)
get yr freak on - shawn lee's ping pong orchestra (ubiquity)
sun - nadja (alien 8)
beat the dead horse - timber timbre (zunior)
food good - nublu orchestra (nublu)
run come dub - g.g. allstars (heartbeat)
life on uranus (tee hee hee....) - prince jammy (greensleeves)
round trip - high tone (jarring effects)
turbo autodrive - badawi (ROIR)
every tongue shall tell - wayne jarrett (wackies)
a yah we deh - barrington levy (trojan)