Merengue

Reaching back to the roots of the Jamaican sixties musical explosion, 'Jamaica Jazz From Federal Records' features some of the originators of the genre. This compilation from the golden era of reggae features Ernest Ranglin, Lennie Hibbert & Cecil Lloyd, and others playing in their element.

Merengue Típico: Nueva Generación! delves into the heart of Dominican merengue, a genre whose significance often eludes the spotlight. Bongo Joe's venture into unexplored terrain takes us to the Caribbean, specifically the Dominican Republic, shedding light on its musical tapestry. Curated by Xavier Daive, aka Funky Bompa, the compilation unveils rare '60s and '70s gems, providing a glimpse into a transformative period following the fall of the Trujillo regime.

After its eclosion in Santo-Domingo, merengue established its supremacy as Latin dance-music. Dominican musicians in exile in New York propagated the genre further, and their orchestras contributed to the great Latin wave which swept over the Fifties.A style as fabulous as it is little-known, at the root of kompa music, pachanga, bachata, bomba and salsa, this authentic merengue music was one of the most influential styles of its time, and one of the great gems of the Caribbean.This anthology compiled by Bruno Blum with a detailed commentary contains treasures which have eluded many for almost a half century.

Actively supporting merengue as a form of propaganda for his regime, the Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo sponsored a radio station called La Voz Dominicana which hired many musicians during the mid-twentieth century. Trumpeter Hector de Leon was acknowledged as the ring-leader among jazz players at the station. His brother, alto saxophonist Choco de Leon, was also an adept jazzman, remembered for his brilliant instrumental versions of traditional merengues with extended jazz-influenced solos, upon which my offering is based.

Reaching back to the roots of the Jamaican sixties musical explosion, 'Jamaica Jazz From Federal Records' features some of the originators of the genre. This compilation from the golden era of reggae features Ernest Ranglin, Lennie Hibbert & Cecil Lloyd, and others playing in their element.

Lounge Psychédélique takes you on a journey into the world of Lounge, Exotica and Space Age Bachelor Pad Music, from its early days in the 1950s and 1960s to the current crop of artists championing the Lounge and Exotica sounds today. Compiled by Spencer Hickman and Mark McQuillan for Two-Piers Lounge Psychédélique (The Best of Lounge and Exotica 1954-2022) is the third instalment in the Psychédélique Compilation series on Two-Piers, following the critically acclaimed Pop Psychédélique (The Best of French Psychedelic Pop 1964-2019) and Garage Psychédélique (The Best of Garage Psych and Pzyk Rock 1965-2019).

Roberto Negro is one of the key figures of Tricollectif, a movement of particularly active French musicians. A graduate of the Conservatoire de Chambéry, Roberto Negro took classes with Benoît Delbecq, the pianist of Kartet. It is part of an impressive number of formations from this collective off the beaten track: La Scala, quartet very oriented contemporary classical music, with Théo Ceccaldi (vl), his brother Valentin (cello) and Adrien Chenebault (dm); Garibaldi Plop with Valentin Ceccaldi and Sylvain Darrifourcq (dm); Kimono with Christophe Monniot (as); Loving Suite for Birdy So ​​with Elise Caron (voc) and a string quintet but also Les Metanuits, duet with Emile Parisien dedicated to G. Ligeti's quartets.

Como ejemplo de la invasión de orquestas y solistas de segunda linea, que emigraron a EEUU en la mitad del siglo pasado, les presento esta asociación entre Johnny Martínez y Johnny Cheda.