Listening to Salsa

Salsa romántica arose at a time when classic, big-band salsa, of the kind popularized by Fania Records in the late 1970s and early 1980s, was taking a severe beating on the Latin record charts, owing to the merengue boom and the rise of Latin pop. To give the music broader commercial appeal, especially in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, emphasis was taken away from the hard-hitting orchestrations of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and focused mainly on the romantic, softer aspects of salsa, creating a mixture of earlier salsa brava and the ballad style. Salsa romántica was championed in recordings by, among others, Eddie Santiago, La India, La Palabra, Giro Lopez, Frankie Ruiz, Luis Enrique, Willie Gonzalez, Lalo Rodríguez, Tito Nieves, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Tito Rojas, and Jerry Rivera. Rodven Records, PolyGram, and RMM were some of the dominant labels during this era.

This release is a fiery Latino album that mixes salsa, timba, bolero, rumba, Latin pop, and other traditional and contemporary styles from Cuba to create an energizing, powerfully dynamic album of vibrant and colorful music from several award-winning artists. “… harmonically engaging as it is rhythmically compelling… sounds like a salsa steam engine…” (AllMusic) Some artists include Combinacion Latina, who are considered one of the best and most popular orchestras of popular dance music from eastern Cuba, Los Van Van, the world famous combo who led traditional Caribbean music into the modern age, and Mario ‘Mayito’ Rivera, who is without a doubt one of Cuba’s most notable singers.

Under the artistic direction of Matthias Maute, Ensemble Caprice is renowned for its innovative interpretations of baroque music. Their previous CDs Vivaldi & Baroque Gypsies (AN 29912) and Telemann & Baroque Gypsies (AN 29919) have been extremely successful. Here they turn their attention to the fiery and passionate music of South America, music with a unique character.

From steel pan music to calypso, and from merengue to salsa and Latin-jazz, feel the irresistibly danceable rhythms of these hot, feel-good songs from around the Caribbean. Smooth jazzy classics, upbeat Cuban salsa, Jamaican steel drums, percussive brass and more all come together in this exciting new album from the Caribbean. Some of the Islands’ finest musicians are featured on this compilation, including the ensemble Grupo Merecumbe, Compania Folclorico Matambu, King Selewa, The Southside Harmonics Steel Orchestra, and many others.

Irma Records Presents Aperitif In New York: Downtempo Soul Disco And Funky Pre Dinner Music album 25 original hits and the original artists genre Downtempo, Soul, Disco, Funk. Includes tracks by The Soultrend Orchestra, Groovy Sistas, Papik, Frankie Lovecchio, Duran, Garcia and more.

We present 3 examples each, of 15 of the most popular dances, those that appear on major TV programmes broadcast throughout the world. From traditional classic routines such as the waltz, foxtrot and quickstep, through to more modern steps, as in jive and rock 'n' roll, and of course the vibrant Latin dances, salsa, rumba, samba and tango. There is not a comparable collection in the marketplace. This 3 CD set also serves as an excellant snapshot of 20th century music, so if the actual dancing is not your cup of tea, put your feet up and listen to major artists performing classic tracks.

Need some hot and spicy music into your life? Okay, calling something out and spicy because this consists of Latin music may be degrading but if it's the best way to hype it up, this may be the best. Latin Escape Dembow was put together by the Zhyk Group, who are unknown but the music you will be listening will become known. Fulfill your needs or simply play when nothing else is going on in your life. Make this music your life.