American Negra

Amparo Velasco, "La Negra" is a spanish gypsy singer from Alicante, raised in Elche that could pass for a woman of American, Dominican or African descent… Both for her black skin, her husky voice, as well as for the music she sings in the album. Jazz, latin-jazz, tango, Brazilian music and of course flamenco coming from her gypsy roots.

This is the second of two albums released in Spain by songwriter, composer, poet, writer and journalist Alfredo Zitarrosa Uruguay (Montevideo, 1936-1989), one of the most popular singers renowned throughout Latin America. He recorded those two albums during part of the years that was exiled from his country (between 1976 and 1984) because of the dictatorial regimes that ruled beyond, that banned his songs. This album became major successes subjects as 'Black Guitar' and 'Stefanie'.

Powerful new spiritual jazz from Chile on Soul Jazz Records! Enrique Rodríguez and the Negra Chiway Band group have an instantly powerful and unique sound that is reminiscent of the ensembles of Sun Ra and his Arkestra as well as Horace Tapscott and his Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, one that channels the righteous spirits of Alice Coltrane, John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Archie Shepp and McCoy Tyner together with a stunning Latin rhythmical and new consciousness and percussive energy. Added to this are elements of the Samurai film soundtracks of Akira Kurosawa, Popol Vuh’s musical spirituality (especially their work with film director Werner Herzog), Tibetan Buddhism and over-blowing chants, that all combine to give a truly unique new sound.

The debut from Mano Negra is more than a band wanting to be the Clash. It's the sound of a band becoming the Clash (it compresses all the musical sprawl of Sandinista! into a single disc), then going on to find their own sound, most especially with tracks like "Indios de Barcelona" and "Mala Vida," both of which would become staples of their repertoire. "Killin' Rats" is a perfect mix of hip-hop and rock, while their take on the traditional "Rock Island Line" (the song that launched the skiffle movement of the '50s) flows through several musical styles in the course of three minutes. There's nothing that complex about it, but the best rock & roll has always been simple. But there's an undeniable fire about Patchanka – they sound as if they've just discovered rock, and they play as if their lives depended on it, with Chao singing (probably one of the few to take Joe Strummer as a vocal model) and the rest of the band offering soccer-style chanting as a background. They're not afraid of anything, they're immortal, and they swagger – and they're often funny, as in the over-the-top fake applause that permeates "Mano Negra," the album's opener.

This CD is musicianship at its best. There is something for everyone here from the dark evocative sounds of Misa Negra, the hard swing of the Ellington tribute, and the infectious beat of the son montunos. And all this with some of the most exciting solo performances you could ever hope to hear.