Rumba, Mambo, Cha-Cha-Cha is the latest Latin Music release from Putumayo. |
Getting something new in the mail from Putumayo, the music purveyor with a distinctly global style, is always exciting. And the latest CD to arrive in the mail — Rumba Mambo Cha Cha Cha — is no exception. Slated for an April 5th release (but available for pre-order now), this CD is the pat of the company’s acclaimed music series.
I may not know a thing about how to dance to any of these three legendary musical styles, but it’s hard to sit still while listening to this infectious trip back in time. Rumba, mambo and cha cha chá are familiar names to ballroom dancers. Originating in Cuba from a blend of African and European influences, they have crossed borders over the decades.
The contributing artists are diverse and talented. Marseille-based Conjunto Massalia opens the album with “Guajira y Chachacha,” a song about the birth of these two related genres. Cuban group Tradicuba’s “Potpourri de Cha Cha Cha” is a medley of some of the most memorable works in this venerable style. And internationally celebrated Colombian band Fruko y Sus Tesos, whose Latin dance tunes are popular with salsa DJs around the globe, offer their own spin on a classic of the mambo reportoire, “Mambo #5.”
It’s a wonderful collection that almost makes me feel like I just got off of a Pan Am flying boat.
Order from Amazon: Rumba Mambo Cha Cha Cha