Cubanismo
Biography
¡Cubanismo! certainly has good timing. Releasing their first album just before the seminal world music success of Buena Vista Social Club, they were poised to make a real impact with their melodic Cuban music that kept its roots strong but also reached outward with a rhythmic kick and a sense of adventure. The band was formed by trumpeter Jesús Alemañy, who had been a Cuban child prodigy, gliding through Havana's Conservatorio Amadeo Roldan, then joining Sierra Maestra, the group that helped rejuvenate Cuban son, when he was just 16. The solid grounding in Cuban musical traditions stood him in good stead when he was finally ready to go it alone after more than a decade. He moved to London in 1992, playing, learning, and networking with fellow Cubans, including percussionist Patato Valdez, for whom he helped organize a descarga, or jam session, in Paris in 1994. Among those invited was record producer and head of Hannibal Records Joe Boyd. He liked what he heard and suggested that Alemañy return to Cuba and organize another descarga, this one to be recorded. It took a little while, but in 1995 a group of musicians assembled at Egrem Studios in Havana, including veteran pianist Alfredo Rodríguez and ten-year-old bongo player Julian Oveido -- a wide cross-section of ages, but all extremely talented.
Selected Discography
Mardi Gras Mambo is a great record. I especially like their take on "Mother In Law" with several different sections. There was a very strong connection between early R&B and the Latin clave rhythm. Listen to Professor Longhair, who incorporated Cuban rhythms with his own style to create what was essentially rock and roll as early as the late forties.
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