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Music of Cuba: 1909-1951 [Columbia]

Various Artists
1 disc

1. Unknown - Orquesta Felipe Valdes
2. Se Acabo la Choricera - Floro Zorrilla/Miguel Zaballa
3. Miguel, Los Hombres No Lloran - Sexteto Occidente
4. Somos Ocho Orientales - Grupo Tipico Oriental
5. Tus Manos Blancas - Maria Cervantes
6. As Mozas de Vilanova - Coro Agrupacion Artistica Gallega
7. Siboney - Sexteto Nacional
8. Mujeres Enamorenme - Sexteto Nacional
9. Noche Azul - Cuban Orchestra
10. Masabi - Alberto Socarras Y Su Orquesta Cubanacan
11. Pacto con el Diablo - Alberto Socarras Y Su Orquesta Cubanacan
12. Music Goes Round and Round, The - Augusto Coen & His Golden Casino Orchestra
13. Conga - Augusto Coen & His Golden Casino Orchestra
14. Mulatica - Johnny Rodriguez Y Su Orquesta
15. Tabu - Lecuona Cuban Boys
16. Rumba Tambah - Lecuona Cuban Boys
17. Rumbas Cubanas - Lecuona Cuban Boys
18. El Maraquero - Antobal's Cubans
19. Centavo el Mazo, A - Orquesta Pedro Via
20. Cachita - Antobal's Cubans
21. La Conga en Nueva York - Desi Arnaz Y Su Orquesta
22. Impromptu - Desi Arnaz Y Su Orquesta
23. El Muerto Se Fue de Rumba - Orquesta Hermanos Castro
24. La Reina del Guaguanco - Alberto Iznaga Y Su Orquesta Siboney
25. Como Ayer - Conjunto Cubakonga
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Additional Info

Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): 62234
Credits

Producer Michael Brooks (Compilation)
Engineer
Includes liner notes by Dick Spottsworth and Cristobal Diaz Ayala.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
It seems reasonable to presume that without the unexpected success of the Buena Vista Social Club at the end of the 1990s, Columbia would not have been interested in digging through its vaults for vintage Cuban pop recordings. Whatever it takes to unlock a flood of ethnic music, however, should be welcomed. And you certainly get a wealth of it on this disc, which assembles 25 tracks from 1909-1951, although all but three are from 1926-1942. It's lighthearted, for the most part, danceable popular music (although Sexteto Nacional's "Siboney" has a nice melancholy aura), roaming among the various branches of the Cuban sound, including danzon, son, bolero, rumba, and conga. Considering the age of the recordings, the remastering is exceptional, although there's still a lot of noise on some of the cuts, probably unavoidably so. There's certainly a lot of variety, with men and women singers, cuts with barely any instrumental accompaniment, full orchestras, an unaccompanied choral song (save for a brief bit of bagpipe near the beginning), numbers with clear American pop and jazz influences, and more. There's even one name that will be known to most of the general public -- Desi Arnaz -- heard doing congas with his orchestra on two tracks, done in 1939 and 1940, respectively. Includes detailed liner notes by Dick Spottswood in both English and a Spanish translation. ~ Richie Unterberger
Critic Reviews

CMJ (7/10/00, p.33) - "...Reflects the island nation's unique musical perspective....Hard to categorize, but if you must, file this album under 'Roots Of The Buena Vista Social Club'."