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Candido Camero, congas; Graciela Perez, vocals; Sonny Bravo, piano; Frederico Britos Ruiz, violin; Andy Gonzales, bass; Nelson Gonzales, tres; Eddie Perales, flute; Manny Oquendo, percussion; Xiomara Laugart, vocals.
To hear these two friends of sixty-odd years so pristinely recorded is to savor history. It is to dig into the well of Latin jazz that extends back to the forties. It is to witness dignity, as when Graciela sang with the late Mario Bauza's orchestra and stirred crowds to a roar or a hush-or as when Candido commanded the right tempo with Dizzy, Tito, and Machito.
As the liner notes to Inolvidable state, this album is a result of one legend luring another out of retirement, especially true of Graciela who, at eighty-eight suffers debilitating arthritis. Both had played with the incredible Machito and his Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra in the forties and solidified their respective reputations over the decades in major Latin outfits.
There is a pleasant ambience to this collection of standards, mostly in the Son tradition, evident from the first track, "Si Tu Supieras", with Graciela's plaintive vocals tracing the narrative. Time has been kind to her voice.
That ambience is especially delightful in "Cachita". When Ruiz solos on violin, the natural dynamics are acute. Candido brings it down to a startling quiet, his touch on the drums reduced fifty per cent. The band follows suit, so much so that Ruiz's pizzicato (3:06) is perfectly audible. Such control is essential to the project, which was recorded in a Manhattan church. Any musician who has played in a church will tell you that the environment necessitates a certain natural "attenuation", otherwise each little overtone billows over and becomes harsh. When Eddie Perales goes for a solo spot, as at 4:20, it is as if the microphones have captured the songs of a bird in flight through the hallowed hall-natural reverb at work.
"La Vida Es Un Sueno", penned by Arsenio Rodriguez, leads of with the delicate strings of the tres, and a slow tempo ballad. Nobody is sleeping, however-in particular Sonny Bravo, who turns in some playful piano lines (2:35).
Candido is the perfect accompanist, in "Amor Ciego" his signature dark timbres blending well with Graciela's vocal range, his time obviously well honed over the years. The cowbell that appears around 1:30 to signal the chorus/bridge is the sort of thing that gets percussionists wondering and looking through the LP catalog.
Okay, on to "Conga Jam", precisely what its name suggests. The opening bass/conga duet is as sensitive and nimble as any recorded. Candido's duet with Gonzales is a study in rhythm, tuning, and touch. Drop the needle anywhere on this one and start your lesson!
"Tu Mi Delirio" is another ballad that smokes with sensuality, and why not? These artists wrote the book of Latin love. If you're a musician, you may have encountered this standard on the bandstand, but never rendered so luxuriously as here. The restraint and control, right down to the triplets-over-two in the exit are magnificent. That restraint carries over to the next track, "Quien Eres Tu". (Wait, there's that cowbell again, driving the chorus! Maybe Oquendo is playing it with a soft mallet....)
It's nigh time we lifted our hats to producer David Chesky, who has a lot to answer for in this release, specifically his modus operandi. When, for example, we go to the languid ballad "Contigo en la Distancial", how does he achieve such a natural balance of Graciela's vocals, congas, and flute? Certainly, it's a matter of masterful musicians knowing how to "mix off the floor" rather than submit to overdubs, but there's more. It would be interesting to interview Chesky on recording techniques.
And then we get to the title track, parts one and two. Something happens around the 2:50 mark, an admirably harnessed rise in energy that takes us into the vocal salsa chorus (and that sweet cowbell) Again, it's nothing so brash as a flashy drum fill but, rather, something far more subtle-one can feel it more than hear it. When the song winds down, it's amazing to look at the counter and discover that Candido and band have kept up an impeccable slow groove for fully six minutes! That spoken, everything changes in "Inolvidable, Parte II" with a shift to a quick tempo and a key modulation. Call and answer, conversation, solos, frisky cowbell/conga interplay, and, in general, an atmosphere of celebration prevail. As the name suggests, it is unforgettable. And highly recommended!
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