Teatro Amadeo Roldan Recita

Reissued as part of the Mr. Bongo labels Cuban Classics series, Teatro Amadeo Roldan Recital is Irakeres mind-blowing 1974 debut album. Led by pianist Chucho Valdes, son of legendary Cuban pianist and bandleader Bebo Valdes, Grupo Irakere, as they were first known, were a seminal Cuban ensemble whose sound fused Afro-Cuban traditions, modern jazz, funk, and psych rock into its own wildly dynamic and influential style. Most of the members had studied at the Havana Conservatory of Music and gone on to found the classical ensemble Orquesta Cubana de Musica Moderna, out of which Irakere was born. Featured were such rising stars as saxophonist Paquito DRivera, percussionist Oscar Valdes, trumpeter Jorge Varona, guitarist Carlos Emilio Morales, and others; also a member was trumpet star Arturo Sandoval who joined a few years after this album. While a deeply talented and skilled group of musicians, Irakere were sophisticated but never subtle. On the contrary, they pushed each other musically, writing songs where each tradition elbowed the other for room on the dancefloor. When they went for acid-soaked wah-wah guitar, as on the sizzling opener "Bacalao con Pan," they went full force, crafting an Afro-Cuban psych-anthem that sounds like Santana on the edge of a volcano. This sweaty, take-no-prisoners aesthetic is pushed throughout the album as Irakere dive into a heady mix of club-ready groovers. Many of the songs were written by tumba player and vocalist Oscar Valdes, including the horn-driven Latin soul number "La Verdad," the salsa burnout of "Quindiambo," and "Luisa," which sounds improbably like a collaboration between 70s brass group Chicago and the Muppets. We also get the romantic afterglow cruise ship vibes of "Valle Picadura" and the crazed cover of Paco Pacos 1972 novelty hit "Taka Taka Ta." Irakeres legend only grew following the release of this album, culminating in the group winning a Grammy for their eponymous 1979 Columbia Records debut; Teatro Amadeo Roldan Recital is the inception of that legend. ~ Matt Collar