Monday, May 25, 2009

"como toca...ese muchacho, como toca..."

Addition/Correction: This is the Ray Barretto band (Jimmy Bosch, Jimmy Delgado, Ricky Gonzalez, etc.) with guests including many Fania All Stars, et al. performing at the L.A. Palladium for an ABC television taping. The show aired in the '80s on "Bravisimo," a 13-episode series of bi-lingual variety shows. Thanks to musician Ricky Gonzalez and Eddie Rodriguez, former executive with ORO, the show's producers, for that additional information!

Fania All Stars and assorted guests including the late Jorge Dalto, whose fusion style of Latin piano soloing I find atypical yet seductive. The Argentine pianist played with Gato Barbieri and George Benson before he passed away in 1987, a mere 39 years old. Musicians and aficionados still discuss his loss as if it happened yesterday; from this video I understand why.

In (1980s?) Los Angeles, the jam standard "Quitate Tu" with a shot of "Bacalao Con Pan":


This is a glorious slice of Fania stars in their prime: Adalberto Santiago, Ismael Miranda, Ray Barretto, Orestes Vilato, Bobby Valentin, Sal Cuevas, Yomo Toro gettin' crazy on the floor, even Jimmy Delgado and Jimmy Bosch with a short afro. Guest Junno Farias finds a way to play two saxophones at once; is it any wonder he twitters?

Video tipster: Mike Reyes.

4 comments:

Eric said...

Man, I hear a lot of "grease" in his playing, he's using some Error Garner, Oscar Peterson, Count Basie voicings.

Eric said...

ugh, need a cup of coffee. ErroL Garner.

Eric said...

make that two cups. ERROLL Garner.

Unknown said...

fantastic, lots of space, and I really love the syncopation in his left hand. Really funky! I very much enjoy Jimmy Bosch's sound when he is not eating the mic. He's a beast!