The Rough Guide to Central America (2001)

«This is the first comprehensive single-disc collection of the various popular and folk styles from the Central American region of the world. Included on this album's 17 selections are representative tunes of the styles of Guatemala (marimba), Belize (brukdown), Nicaragua (trova), Honduras (punta), and countless variations incorporating reggae, salsa, son, cumbia, and local styles. The performers are well-known in the region, and especially in their native countries, so this is not a collection of field recordings. Nowhere is this more evident than in the album's opener by Belize's Andy Palacio; "Nagúara," from his album Keimon, is a solid blend of infectious pop with a traditional rhythm (garifuna). He makes a second appearance with "Lasmiselu," and it too is irresistible in its pop appeal and killer rhythmic invention. Also present is the truly wonderful Guadalupe Urbina with "Agosto Azul," from Costa Rica, a sublime blend of poetry and music. The crossbreeding, the miscegenation here, is almost unbelievable for its invention of new styles from old. Take Philip Montalvan's "Bilwi Luhpia Mairin," which is a seamless fusion of reggae and folk music from Nicaragua's indigenous Miskito tribe. But there are folk elements too, from Mr. Peters & His Boom & Chime, with his virtuoso accordion playing fronting a band playing brukdown, a form of black Creole music from Belize, or Guatemalan musician Jursino Cayetano's paranda, which uses garifuna drums, acoustic guitar, and Latin and Spanish rhythms in a folk song. There are also tracks here from Panama, El Salvador, and other nations. Whatever your taste is, it is at least reflected here. But for most listeners, this music will be a revelation, a stunning wake-up call that, even in the widespread marketplace ghetto called "world music," there is much that is within easy distance of our ears, yet never heard on these shores. Thank goodness for the Rough Guides and others like them. This isn't just good music, it is essential music for everyone interested in the world around them. A fantastic collection.» (AMG)

Dedicated to Andy Palacio

Link in comments

Panama! Latin, Calypso and Funk on the Isthmus 1965-1975 (2006)

"If you really sit down and think about how much amazing music there is in the world, you’ll start to realize that you have only been exposed to a surprisingly miniscule percentage of it. Up until this album’s release in April of 2006, the songs on Panama! Latin, Calypso and Funk on the Isthmus 1965-1975 had never been released outside of their home country, and there are two men to thank for bringing these mind-blowing tracks to those hungry for amazing music: Roberto Ernesto Gyemant and Miles Cleret. Gyemant was living in Costa Rica when he visited the small village of David, Panama. As relief from the sweltering heat, he ended up taking refuge in a radio station that broadcast reggaeton and salsa as its main fare. Gyemant inquired about older records: his inquiry was met with a visit to a small storage room containing roughly 10,000 LPs and 45s. Days later, he had picked through them, noticing labels he’d never seen; these labels were on the albums of Combos Nacionales, Panamanian groups from the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Years later, 15 tracks out of the thousands of singles he sorted through are appearing for the first time on Panama!. To say the music here is great is an understatement. The blending of, as the title suggests, Latin soul, funk, calypso and jazz literally takes the listener to a different world. The album functions as a personal time portal. The way this album came about represents the Caribbean region perfectly, with its amazingly diverse people and culture everywhere. You just have to drop off the beaten path to find it. That’s the best way to describe this gem of a compilation. Panama! is an intoxicating mix of sultry eclecticism, and though these tracks haven’t been released outside of Panama until now, they breathe nostalgia." (AMG)

Link in comments