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SPANISH HARLEM ORCHESTRA
FEATURING RUBEN BLADES:'ACROSS 110TH STREET' (LIBERTAD RECORDS) In October 2002, Aaron Levinson and Oscar Hernandez put together some of the finest latin musicians and had them play new (but classic-style) arrangements on a mix of old and new material. The result won the Spanish Harlem Orchestra Billboard's Best Latin Newcomer Award 2003, and a Grammy nomination for 2003's Best Salsa Album. On first hearing this eagerly-awaited sophomore effort, the first thing I asked myself was: can New York Salsa get any better, any more vital and thrilling, than the performances presented here: the conviction-filled vocals of the great Ruben Blades, the five-piece brass section, pianist Oscar Hernandez' preternatural sense of timing? The answer - for the time being, at any rate - is a resounding 'No'. With soloists like Jimmy Bosch (trombone), Bobby Allende (percussion), and vocalists Ray de la Paz and Marco Bermudez, and the services of the finest arrangers in the business today - Marty Sheller and Gil Lopez - do I have to spell it out? Go buy. |
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