Track Listings

1. M' Beddemi - Cheikh N'Digel Lo
2. Le Rendez-Vous - Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca
3. Trovador - Africando
4. Rumba Makossa - Cuarteto Patria & Manu Dibango
5. Xamsa Bopp - Super Cayor De Dakar
6. Boulmamine - Orchestra Baobab
7. Viva Super Eagles - Super Eagles
8. Porque Me Guardas Rencor - Septeto Nacional Ignacio Pineiro
9. Donde Va Chichi? - Sierra Maestra
10. Assa - Balla Et Sas Balladins
11. Senorita - E.T. Mensah
12. Yewa - Lazaro Ros
13. Elube Chango - Afro-Cuban All Stars
14. Kora-Son - Patato featuring Samba Mapangala

Amazon.com

Fusion may be an overworked word denoting an often dubious process, but The Rough Guide to Afro-Cuba should restore anyone's faith in it. And history underpins it: Cuban dance rhythms originated in Africa, were transported during the slave trade to Cuba, were brought back to Africa by liberated slaves in the 19th century, and were re-appropriated by indigenous African musicians in the 20th century. At every stage in the process, the rhythms were enriched and embellished. Permeated by rumba and mbalax rhythms, this lovely compilation reflects an astonishing constancy of texture between groups recorded in Cuba and others recorded in Africa, and its inclusion of some rare vintage stuff--the Septeto Nacional, Balla et Ses Balladins, and the "King of Highlife" E.T. Mensah--deepens its historical dimension. We also get the intricate charms of Orchestra Baobab and the magnificent sound of Sierra Maestra, Cuba's finest son band. 

*****

Michael Church

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