Vamonos Pa’l Monte (Fania, 2009)
Vamonos pa’l Monte (Let’s go to the Mountain) is the reissue of a fabulous recording by Eddie Palmieri, one of the legends of modern Latin jazz and salsa. This 2009 remastered edition contains the original release plus previously unreleased bonus tracks. If you are familiar with Eddie Palmieri’s recent work, you probably know him as an acoustic pianist, but in the early 1970s, the Palmieri brothers, Eddie and Charlie, were a powerhouse in the area of electronic keyboards, primarily electric piano and organ. At a time when keyboard wizards like Keith Emerson (of Emerson, Lake and Palmer) and Rick Wakeman (of Yes) were revolutionizing the world of rock music, the salsa world had Eddie Palmieri and Charlie Palmieri.
Charlie Palmieri put together a musical powerhouse that included some of the finest musicians of the period. The result was an explosion of creativity, combining fiery Afro-Cuban roots, seductive salsa and innovative jazz fusion. Eddie Palmieri has many fond memories of these sessions and is specially proud of his brother’s participation: "I must say that my late dear brother Charlie played the greatest organ solo that this genre will ever hear!"
Musicians include: Eddie Palmieri as band leader and on piano; Ismael Quintana on vocals; Bob Vianco on guitar, Jose Rodriguez on trombone, Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros on trumpet, Ronnie Cuber on baritone, Nicky Marrero on timbales and bongo, Eladio Perez Perez on conga, Arturo Franquiz on clave and coro, Monchito Muñoz on bombo. Guest musicians include: Charlie Palmieri on organ, Victor Paz on trumpet, Charles Camilleri on trumpet, Pete Yellin on tenor sax, Santos Colon on coro, Justo Betancourt on coro, Marcelino Guerra on coro, Yayo El Indio on coro, Elliot Romero on coro, and Mario Muñiz on coro.
The four previously unreleased tracks (which total 42 extra minutes), includes an alternate take of "Viejo Socarron" as well as an early version of "VP Blues" (later recorded, albeit with more polish, on "Live at Sing Sing." The other two unreleased tracks are "Mixed Marriage" and "Moon Craters" — both recorded at the time, but not included on the LP. The liner notes also feature the remembrances of the album’s producer, Miguel Estivill. Here’s what John Child said about this seminal release… A milestone in Eddie Palmieri’s recording career, 1971’s Vamonos Pa’l Monte, his last studio album for Tico, adds the baritone saxophone of Ronnie Cuber to his trombone / trumpet frontline.
Buy the CD or MP3 download:
- In North America: Vamonos Pa’l Monte
- In Europe: Vamonos Pa’l Monte
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
