![]() ![]() In the four decades since More’s death, no singer has managed to take his place. At the same time, he was a natural improvising poet who could make up Spanish-style decimas all night.” “He was thus bathed from a very early age in traditional Congo styles that were in the process of disappearing. “As a boy in his hometown of Santa Isabel de las Lajas, he was a welcome guest at the local Casino de los Congos, where his great-grandfather had been the first king,” says Sublette. He was the undisputed master of the bolero, the romantic genre that became his singular forte, but he could sing well in any of Cuba’s many popular song styles, notes Ned Sublette, record producer and author of the upcoming book “Cuba and Its Music: From the First Drums to the Mambo.” Steeped in both European and African traditions, he appealed to blacks and whites, to sophisticated capital dwellers and to country guajiros. But he remained quintessentially Cuban.Įmerging as a star during a decade of political turmoil, More embodied what it meant to be Cuban. More could be cool and skilled like Sinatra, soulful and caressing like Nat King Cole, rhythmic and inventive like Ella Fitzgerald. The Banda Gigante borrowed jazz stylings from American big bands of the 1940s. But by focusing on his later work as a bandleader, this set spotlights the artist’s distinct style and sound that dominated a decade of explosive creativity. More launched his career as a vocalist with other bands, including Perez Prado’s, almost a decade before this collection begins. Over the years, there have been many compilations by the star known as “El Barbaro del Ritmo,” roughly meaning the “tremendous” or “awesome” man of rhythm. It is the most comprehensive collection of More’s big-band sessions for RCA Victor, arranged chronologically with songs grouped by the date they were recorded. This is a major historical release from Tumbao Cuban Classics, the Barcelona-based label that specializes in the meticulous repackaging of old Cuban music. The story of More’s Venezuelan escapade is contained in the liner notes to the exceptional new compilation titled “Benny More y Su Banda Gigante: Grabaciones Completas 1953-1960.” The four-disc boxed set includes 91 songs spanning More’s career as bandleader and includes a 124-page book with a biography in three languages, complete song lyrics and a collection of photos, many published for the first time. So many things came together in this one man - the descarga, the arrangements, the singing, the improvisation - that he remains a vital reference point to this day, and forever.” “He made dance music, but people would go just to hear him and see him perform. ![]() “Benny was simply extraordinary,” says Miami-based trombonist and arranger Juan Pablo Torres, who once shared the stage with More in Cuba. ![]() Saved by his musical wit, the colorful Cuban, who wore snazzy zoot suits and conducted his band with a cane, then flew on to Hollywood for a performance at the Academy Awards ceremony. In the audience that night was the Venezuelan president, who was so amused by the singer’s improvisations that he had all charges dropped. With charges still pending for the assault, More made an appearance at a luxury hotel, improvising verses about his brush with the law. On that trip, the lanky black bandleader was jailed after punching a promoter who had failed to pay his band. During one tour to Venezuela in 1956 at the peak of his career, More’s talents also earned him his freedom. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |