Mambo Sinuendo

by

Ry Cooder and Manuel Galbán

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Has any musician, dead or alive, appeared in a wider variety of musical settings than Ry Cooder? None comes to mind. The amazing thing about his cross-culturalism is how effectively he picks up the basic vibe of the music he's exploring while still putting his own stamp on the proceedings, all the while maintaining a deep (yet not slavish) respect as he playfully deconstructs and reassembles it.

His latest, Mambo Sinuendo, a dual project with Cuban guitar legend Manuel Galabán, strikes me as the finest Cooder record to date. I've listened to this remarkable album many times, and each listen has revealed something new: Cooder's tuba-like sound on "Bodas de Oro"; the nimble acoustic bass of Orlando "Cachaíto" Lopez, always establishing the perfect rhythmic underpinning; the deep swing melded to relaxed yet intense interaction that suffuses the whole record; the tricky rhythmic shifts that relocate a piece from Latin America to the American Southwest to Hawaii. It's because Cooder has (seemingly effortlessly) acquired such a broad and deep musical vocabulary that he's able to musically jet, as it were, from country to country with such ease.

Highlights for me include a very tender reading of the chestnut "Secret Love," the Al Caiola-meets-Sonny Chillingworth vibe of "Drume Negrita," "Los Twangueros," with Ry making his recorded debut on vibes (!) and sounding, if I may say so, like an inebriated south of the border denizen in hat and sneakers, the old Pérez Prado number, "Patricia," given an affectionately funky reading and coming across, strangely, at once hoary and impossibly modern, "Caballo Viejo," a cumbia-like piece featuring some very tasty farfisa-organ-sounding guitar and killer drum work by the dual drum team of Jim Keltner and Joachim Cooder. The title cut shines brightest, with some way whacked-out organ, tasty chick background vocals, a guest appearance by Herb Alpert (who sounds surprisingly nimble), and Joachim all over his drum kit. But it's all good.

One small irritation: I don't think all the musicians are listed. For example, I can clearly hear an uncredited piano on "Bolero Sonámbulo." But that's a small matter, certainly not enough to topple this astounding record from the position it holds for as the premier release of the millennium so far.

After many, many listens I have warmed up to the point of trying to review this CD without bashing it completely. I say this because at first I hated it. I thought it was a ... of the "BVSC Aura." It has grown on me to the point where I like it but will never love it and inevitably the disc will be doomed to collecting dust. To my Afro-Cuban sensitive ears this disc sounds like some type of experiment that escaped from the tiki- lounge. Sometimes it reminds me of my travels and walking into a cantina and hearing the local talent. It sounds outright cheesy at times and for those of you old enough to remember it reminds me of background music for an old Ernie Kovacks schtick. I suppose it is innovative in sound and texture but twangy garage-style, almost Hawaiian-hula like Latin rhythmns are not for everyone. Yes , the guitars do have a mesmerizing effect, a palm tree in the breeze dreamy quality in Tranquility Bay but the tones emanating are best suited for those that like music not necessarily associated with Cuban music. Ry Cooder as an innovator, a world music transglobal experimentor has reached too far this time and come up a little short. The rich guitars themselves sound good but the blend is just too odd and doesn't excite; it is almost musical wallpaper. This mostly instrumental hybrid could have been better with more emphasis on the polyrhythmns and a little more sabor(flavor). I think you hsve to be a fan of Ry Cooder to really get into this disc; myself I preferred his collaboration work with David Lindley and El Rayo X. If you are looking for something different, a little removed from true Cuban music but with just enough hints of it to slightly tap your feet than go for it and get this disc. Fans of Ry Cooder will probably not be dissapointed; fans of Cuban music and the BVSC will be.