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The first observation on Edgardo Cambon and Candela’s album Madre Rumba, Padre Son, denoting maternal/paternal heritage, is not on the Bay Area leader’s facility but on that of the bass player, David Belove. Rock and jazz players ought to listen to the way he handles salsa, first to learn timekeeping and next to admire his articulation.
Which brings us to Edgardo Cambon. His vocals would be enough, the way they harken to the Latin ballroom singers. His percussion is stinging and on top of the beat, pushing forward. His relationship with bassist Belove is special. They have a seemingly natural tendency to "shuffle the deck" - to switch registers and attack in response to the other.
Edgardo’s bass drum work is worth investigating. It is a very "street" approach, perhaps pointing to his Uruguayan heritage. Otherwise, this is a salsa record with traditional arrangements and vocal call and response. On those criteria, you can’t fault it. Arrangements are clever, the pushes and modulations well-placed: lots of "wake up calls" here.
Despite the threat of tranquil respite - for example, the legato piano/vocal intro of "Canta Para el Mundo Etero", the tempo keep you dancing. That seems to be the intent, but it’s not the currently in-vogue four-on-the-floor pop passing as Latin. Funny, audiences reared on the latter will appreciate Madre Rumba, Padre Son.
Check out the exquisite percussion on the cha cha "Perdirte Perdon", including a squeaky clean five-stroke roll on the shell of a timbale and a guiro that pops in and out, same with playful bongos. Back to tempo, and we’re gone… except for a tune everyone will know, John Lennon’s "Imagine". If it were possible, the message gains even greater efficacy in a Latin refrain. Who could have foreseen, "you may say I’m a dreamer" as a mambo!
To punctuate, the last segment is spoken dialogue between Edgardo and child. He is asking, "you were imagining you were dancing with a friend?".
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