Live (Rolling Pin Music, 2014)
Palo! Is a great band from Miami (Florida) that was formed in 2013. Although Miami is full of Cuban bands, Palo!’s style stands out because of its fiery combination of Cuban tropical dance music with American jazz and funk.
The group also writes its own songs. Cuban-born lead vocalist Leslie Cartaya has one of the finest voices in the current US-based Latin American music scene. In addition to her vocal skills, she is also an esteemed songwriter.
The band consists of veteran musicians who have performed with some of the leading acts in the salsa scene: Leslie Cartaya on vocals; Steve Roitstein on keyboards, a musician, arranger and producer who has worked with Celia Cruz, Willy Chirino, Tito Puente, Cheo Feliciano, Oscar d’Leon, among others; Venezuelan saxophone maestro Ed Calle, a renowned multi-instrumentalist who has recorded with top pop and Latin music stars who also teaches music at Miami Dade College; Cuban lead vocalist and percussionist Philbert Armenteros; and Raymer Olalde on percussion and backing vocals.
Palo! Live features an excellent collection of irresistible Afro-Cuban funk songs, with plenty of catchy sing along choruses that are destined to become classics in the salsa repertoire.
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.
