90 Millas

Horacio Hernandez, affectionally known as “El Negro” is one in-demand drummer! He has graced the efforts of Carlos Santana, and Afro Cuban sessions of Gonzalo Rubalcaba, and Michel Camilo. He may be Cuba’s most famous exported present-day drummer. He had defected from Cuba to Italy, and now makes his home in the melting pot of New York City. His debut as a leader, Italuba, was nominated for a Grammy. Now he is back with Italuba II, a melange of rock, jazz, and Afro Cuban rhythms. It’s a winning mix as evidenced on the trumpet driven anthemic Te Prima; the lyrical straight ahead jazz of Afternoon at the Boulevard; and the fusion Metheny-like, Mr. Also highly enjoyable is the Caribbean feel of Meridien, dedicated to Paquito D’Rivera.

With our release of well-received titles by Blood, Sweat & Tears and Tower of Power, we at Real Gone have become something of a home for the great horn bands of the late '60s and early 70s, and with our reissue of The Ides of March's classic Vehicle album on the 50th anniversary of the band s founding, we are bringing another one into the fold. The Ides began in a basement in the Chicago suburb of Berwyn on October 16th, 1964, and have stayed together ever since; only the Rolling Stones really rival them for longevity. And this album, Vehicle, was their commercial high-water mark; its title track went to #2 and the album to #55 on the 1970 charts. It's a happy collision (no pun intended) of the band s garage-y British pop influences and the more progressive sounds of Chicago and BS&T that were sweeping through FM radio at the time; our Expanded Edition features four single bonus tracks and notes by Richie Unterberger featuring quotes from the band's Jim Peterik and Larry Millas. Highly recommended!

The 3rd Captain Sky record never manages to achieve liftoff. While previous efforts balanced the Captain's shameless P-Funk cops with some propulsive grooves and widescreen arrangements, "Concerned Party #1" simply goes through the motions, running on nothing but the vapors of a few witty puns (e.g., "Bubble Gum (I Chewz You)") and a handful of punishing bass grooves. Worse, the production breaks down under the weight of its painfully slick disco textures. A few cuts, like "Sir Jam a Lot," might get a less discerning dancefloor moving, but otherwise Concerned Party #1 falls completely flat.