Africando Live

This is Africando live on-stage, at the Zenith in Paris in the summer of 2001, with all its raw energy. Its the first live album from this phenomenal hybrid group composed of the best African and Caribbean musicians paired with the cream of New York Citys Latin music scene. The distinguished delivery of the individual tracks is unique. Each singer/sonero places his mark on each of the 17 dynamite tracks pushing this double-CD into dance stardom. The variety of vocals avoids the sameness plagued by many contemporary salsa albums. It also surpasses many of those albums by driving deep into the primordial roots of the music; one listen will convince that Africando has some seriously danceable salsa going on. This is African-Latin music with lots of thrust and stretched-out grooves. Hot blaring horns coupled with steamroller percussion make for a volcanic mix. You can hear the crowds frenzy as they feed back to the musicians and vice versa. This rapport is very special and has been captured on the live CD, and on the equally exceptional DVD that has two bonus tracks on it. For those who thought that Africando was an artificial studio phenomenon, this romping live performance should eliminate that doubt right away. Highly recommended. ~ Mark Romano