Debate Navideño

Tracklisting

Debate Navideño [04:53]

Biog

The leader of ¡Cubanismo!, Jesús Alemañy, was a trumpeter for Sierra Maestra, one of Cuba's leading son groups, from the age of 15. Now residing in London, Jesús immerses the listener in sweet dance sessions full of swaggering horn charts and wild polyrhythms that recall the vintage big-band son sound. The orchestra is filled with the likes of Irakere veteran flutist Orlando "Maracas" Valle; saxophonist Yosvany Terry from Los Terry, his family's Afro-Cuban group; the great Cuban bassist Carlos del Puerto; and tres player Pancho Amat. The all-star percussion lineup boasts the venerable "Tata" Güines and Roberto Vizcaino on tumbadoras (conga drums), and the always inventive timbalero Emilio del Monte.

Jesús Alemañy's ¡CUBANISMO! began as a recording project for Rykodisc's Hannibal label. The album was recorded in Havana with British producer Joe Boyd in May of 1995. Breaking sales records in Europe and the US, ¡Cubanismo! became one of the Latin crossover albums of 1996, and made the Top Ten lists of Billboard, Latin Beat and Afropop Woldwide. Last year, Alemañy reassembled the band and recorded their second album Malembe, also on Rykodisc's Hannibal label.