Juan Pablo Torres & his Cuban All Stars

Cuba Swings!

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Well-known Big Band era songs, arranged & played in Cuban Son style with world class musicians.

tracks

: 1 Satin Doll
: 2 Tenderly
: 3 Autumm Leaves
: 4 In The Mood
: 5 Rhapsody in Blue
: 6 Perfidia
: 7 Summertime
: 8 My Prayer
: 9 Moonlight Serenade
: 10 Take the A Train

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notes

Cuba Swings! is the third of Juan Pablo Torres' off-and-on series of conceptual albums dealing with the popular music of his native country. After 1979's Estrellas de Areito and 1995's Super Cuban All Stars, Torres decided to salute the influence of American swing on the Cuban son with an album of ten standards. His nine-piece lineup — spanning the 70-year-old conga player Tata Güines to the 30-year-old trumpeter Julio Padron — translates the swing era very well, from vocalist Maria Elena Lazo's sweet version of "Autumn Leaves" to Padron's clear high-note solo on "In the Mood" to the highlight, an irresistible tribal reworking of "Rhapsody in Blue." Obviously, Torres gets plenty of solo space as well, and sounds solid throughout. All these Latinized versions of American standards comes off more like a '50s crossover record than Buena Vista Social Club, but the first-class musicianship and excellent song selection make for a catchy, fun album.

reviews

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The swing equivalent of Classic Meets Cuba.
author: Jeanne Devin
Anyone familiar with big-band music of the 1940's knows how readily swing lovers accepted Latin dance rhythms, especially from Cuba. So it's little wonder that Cuban musicians would return the compliment to swing. It's not always easy to successfully combine musical elements of two cultures. But Cuba and America have been closely connected since the Spanish-American War, and Torres's production is just one more example of how much we share in common through music. What the Klazz Brothers did on their CD, Classic Meets Cuba, Torres has done equally well in this recording, which proves that Cuba does indeed swing!